India positions itself as a global AI bridge by hosting the landmark IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi from February 16-20, marking the first major international AI summit in the Global South under the IndiaAI Mission led by MeitY. Announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, the five-day event at Bharat Mandapam and Sushma Swaraj Bhawan draws over 200,000 registrants—including 20+ heads of state, 40 CEOs like Google’s Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres—plus farmers and grassroots voices to champion inclusive AI for development.
Guided by three “Sutras”—People, Planet, Progress—the summit structures discussions across seven “Chakras” like Human Capital, Safe AI, Innovation, and AI for Social Good, aiming to amplify Global South perspectives on equitable access, ethical governance, and measurable impact amid AI’s risks like job disruption and biases. Side events from February 16-18 showcase applied AI in agriculture, health, and education, while leaders’ sessions on February 19 culminate in commitments potentially exceeding $100 billion, reinforcing India’s role in shared AI standards and scalable public-good solutions.
