India AI Impact Summit 2026 Begins in New Delhi

The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is a five-day global conference on artificial intelligence (AI) being held in New Delhi, India, at Bharat Mandapam from 16–20 February 2026. It brings together governments, tech leaders, researchers, industry experts, and civil society to discuss the uses, governance, risks, and inclusive growth opportunities of AI

Why It Is Important

India’s Role in Global AI Governance

The summit positions India as a key voice in shaping global AI debates, especially from the perspective of the Global South — developing countries often under-represented in tech governance discussions.

Leaders from 100+ countries, including heads of state and government such as French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, are attending.

Multi-Stakeholder Participation

Over 40 CEOs of major global companies like Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Qualcomm, OpenAI, Anthropic, and others are part of the summit — highlighting strong industry-government collaboration on AI.

Sessions include policymakers, international organisations, civil society, academic researchers and startup founders.

3. Core Themes and Agenda

AI and Economic Growth: How AI can drive productivity, job creation, and competitiveness.

Public Sector Applications: AI in healthcare, agriculture, governance, and infrastructure for inclusive development.

Responsible AI & Ethics: Frameworks for safe, fair, and ethical deployment of AI technologies.

Democratisation of AI: Expanding access to computing power, datasets, and foundational AI models for wider participation.

India’s Strategic Priorities at the Summit

IndiaAI Mission

A key enabler is the IndiaAI Mission, which seeks to build domestic AI capabilities and an innovation ecosystem covering compute infrastructure, talent skilling, data platforms, startup financing, and trustworthy AI solutions.

AI for Public Good

Emphasis on AI that improves quality of life, including health diagnostics, education tools, smart cities, and agriculture advisory systems.

Ethics, Safety & Governance

AI safety, accountability, transparency, and inclusion are central to the discussions, reflecting global concerns about bias, privacy, job disruption, and ethical risks.

Significance for Public Policy and Governance

Economic Policy: AI is seen as a major driver of innovation-led growth, with potential to enhance productivity in traditional and emerging sectors.

International Diplomacy: The summit strengthens India’s role in global tech diplomacy and aligns with its vision of a rule-based, inclusive technology ecosystem.

Skill Development: Through programs like IndiaAI FutureSkills, AI education and reskilling are priorities to prepare the workforce for the AI era.

Governance Integration: AI is being integrated into public services — for instance, predictive governance, judicial efficiency, and citizen service optimisation.

Global Context

This summit builds on past global AI gatherings such as the Bletchley AI Safety Summit (2023, UK), Seoul Summit (2024) and Paris Summit (2025) — indicating an evolving international AI governance framework that balances innovation with ethical safeguards.