India (Commonwealth Union)_ India is making global headlines this week as it hosts the fourth edition of the AI Impact Summit, bringing together heads of state, ministers, technology pioneers, and researchers from around the world. Held in New Delhi at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 2026 summit marks the first time the global AI gathering is being organized in the Global South. Previous editions took place in the United Kingdom, Seoul, and Paris. This year’s event, however, carries added weight.
AI Impact Summit 2026
Artificial intelligence is not just a future concept; it is redefining industries, changing employment markets, raising ethical concerns, and prompting governments to reconsider rules. Against this environment, India is portraying itself as a link between developed and emerging countries, highlighting how AI is managed and deployed. The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that leaders from 20 countries, global tech titans, and ministerial delegations from more than 45 nations are attending the summit. Senior representatives from international organizations, including the United Nations, are also part of the discussions.
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Venue, events and unprecedented crowds
The scale of the summit is striking. Government officials expect nearly 250,000 visitors over five days, making it the largest edition of the AI Impact series so far. More than 500 sessions and side events are planned across four major venues in the capital. The centerpiece is Bharat Mandapam, where the main plenary sessions and the AI Impact Expo are being held. Other sessions are spread across Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, Vigyan Bhawan, and Dr. Ambedkar Bhawan.
The Expo alone covers more than 70,000 square meters and has over 840 exhibitors, including national delegations, startups, research labs, and big technology companies. The display space is organized into seven themed zones known as “Chakras,” which include health, agriculture, safe and trusted AI, research, inclusiveness, democratizing AI resources, and economic development. On opening day, the halls were filled to capacity. Long queues formed early in the morning as students, developers, entrepreneurs, and officials arrived, illustrating the public’s growing interest in artificial intelligence and its practical uses.
The summit’s core theme: People, Planet and Progress
The 2026 summit is organized around three main pillars: People, Planet, and Progress. These pillars form seven working groups that focus on AI skills, social inclusion, safety and ethics, scientific research, sustainable computing, access to AI infrastructure, and economic development. More than 700 session proposals were received, demonstrating the significance and scope of worldwide AI discussions. Policymakers are also concerned about data governance, job displacement, and the concentration of AI power in a few businesses.
There is also rising concern about the environmental impact of large-scale computing and the necessity for energy-efficient solutions. During the meeting, the government plans to release an AI compendium featuring case studies from industries including healthcare, education, agriculture, and energy. The event will finish with a meeting of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Council, during which member countries are expected to discuss a common declaration on responsible AI.
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Prime Minister Modi inaugurates the summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the five-day summit on February 16, describing it as a defining moment for India’s technological journey. Addressing a packed hall, he said the event demonstrates the country’s rapid progress in science and technology and reflects the capabilities of India’s youth. In his remarks, he emphasized a human-first approach to artificial intelligence. Quoting the civilizational phrase “Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya,” meaning ‘welfare for all and happiness for all,’ he called for AI systems that serve society at large rather than a select few corporations. He also underlined India’s ambition to contribute to global AI governance. “Together, we will shape solutions not just for India but for the world,” he said, signalling that New Delhi intends to play an active role in setting international norms.
The five-day agenda
- The summit began on February 16 with keynote speeches, policy panels, and expert roundtables, alongside the inauguration of the AI Expo.
- On February 17, discussions continued with the release of knowledge compendiums covering AI applications in health, energy, education, agriculture, gender empowerment, and disability inclusion. A seminar on applied AI explored how technology can move from research labs to everyday use.
- February 18 focuses on research, with academic institutions and think tanks presenting new findings. Industry sessions and innovation showcases follow, including demonstrations by finalists of the AI by HER Global Impact Challenge.
- February 19 marks the formal leaders’ summit, inaugurated by the prime minister, followed by a leaders’ plenary and a CEO roundtable.
- On February 20, GPAI Council members meet to align on priorities for responsible AI, with a leaders’ declaration expected at the close.
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Full list of world leaders attending the summit
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the following global leaders are participating in the summit:
- Tshering Tobgay – Prime Minister of Bhutan
- Edmand Lara Montano – Vice President of Bolivia
- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – President of Brazil
- Andrej Plenković – Prime Minister of Croatia
- Alar Karis – President of Estonia
- Petteri Orpo – Prime Minister of Finland
- Emmanuel Macron – President of France
- Kyriakos Mitsotakis – Prime Minister of Greece
- Bharrat Jagdeo – Vice President of Guyana
- Olzhas Bektenov – Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
- Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein – Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein
- Navinchandra Ramgoolam – Prime Minister of Mauritius
- Aleksandar Vučić – President of Serbia
- Peter Pellegrini – President of Slovakia
- Pedro Sánchez – Prime Minister of Spain
- Anura Kumara Dissanayake – President of Sri Lanka
- Sebastien Pillay – Vice President of Seychelles
- Guy Parmelin – President of Switzerland
- Dick Schoof – Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan – Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, UAE
Leading technology voices at the summit
More than 100 global CEOs and technology leaders are attending the summit. Confirmed participants include:
- Sundar Pichai – CEO of Google & Alphabet
- Sam Altman – CEO of OpenAI
- Mukesh Ambani – Chairman, Reliance Industries
- Bill Gates – Chair, Gates Foundation
- Demis Hassabis – CEO, Google DeepMind
- Yann LeCun – AI researcher
- Yoshua Bengio – Founder, Mila Institute
- Dario Amodei – CEO, Anthropic
- Cristiano Amon – CEO, Qualcomm
- Brad Smith – President, Microsoft
- Julie Sweet – CEO, Accenture
- Jensen Huang – CEO, Nvidia
- Jay Puri – Executive Vice President, Nvidia
- Natarajan Chandrasekaran – Chairman, Tata Sons
- K Krithivasan – CEO & MD, Tata Consultancy Services
- C Vijayakumar – CEO & MD, HCLTech
- Salil Parekh – CEO, Infosys
- Nikesh Arora – CEO, Palo Alto Networks
- Arundhati Bhattacharya – Chairperson & CEO, Salesforce India
- Shantanu Narayen – CEO, Adobe
- Nandan Nilekani – Co-founder, Infosys
- Tony Blair – Executive Chairman, Tony Blair Institute
- Roy Jakobs – CEO, Royal Philips
- Borje Ekholm – President & CEO, Ericsson
- Martin Schroeter – Chairman & CEO, Kyndryl
- Matthew Prince – CEO, Cloudflare
- Jay Chaudhry – CEO & Founder, Zscaler
- Vishal Sikka – Founder & CEO, Vianai Systems
- Ravi Kumar S – CEO, Cognizant
- Sunil Bharti Mittal – Founder & Chairman, Bharti Enterprises
- Alexandr Wang – Chief AI Officer, Meta
- Arthur Mensch – Co-Founder & CEO, Mistral AI
- Bipul Sinha – CEO & Co-Founder, Rubrik
- Børge Brende – President & CEO, World Economic Forum
- Amit Zavery – President & COO, ServiceNow
- Ana Paula Assis – SVP & Chair Asia Pacific and EMEA, IBM
- Aparna Bawa – COO, Zoom
- BVR Mohan Reddy – Founder & Chairman, Cyient Ltd
Competitions, youth challenges and innovation
Beyond policy discussions, the summit also highlights innovation through competitions such as:
- AI for ALL and
- AI by HER, offering top prizes of ₹2.50 crore.
- YUVAi, aimed at young people aged 13 to 21, encourages students to design AI-based solutions to real-world challenges.
- India AI Tinkerpreneur, a summer bootcamp for school students, focuses on building early AI and entrepreneurial skills.
Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw described the response as phenomenal, noting participation from nearly 100 countries. He said India’s experience in building digital public infrastructure, from digital identity to payments, positions it uniquely to scale AI in a cost-effective and inclusive way. As the summit unfolds, India is seeking not just to host a conference but to help shape the global conversation on how artificial intelligence should serve humanity, balancing innovation with responsibility, growth with inclusion, and ambition with ethics.
