India AI Impact Summit 2026 will be held in New Delhi from February 15–20.
The summit focuses on democratizing AI and reducing the global AI divide.
Over 100 global CEOs and leaders are expected to attend the event.
India is preparing to play a defining role in global artificial intelligence (AI) governance through the India AI Impact Summit 2026. It is scheduled to take place in New Delhi from February 15 to 20, 2026. The summit’s theme is ‘Democratizing AI, Bridging the AI Divide.’ It aims to influence how AI is developed, regulated, and deployed worldwide, in emerging and developing economies.
Addressing the media, S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said AI must not remain concentrated within a handful of countries or corporations. He emphasised that it should function as a horizontal, enabling technology that supports humanity’s collective development. The Secretary further added that equitable access to AI infrastructure, including compute, data, and foundational models, is critical to preventing a widening global AI divide.
India AI Impact Summit 2026 is anchored in three guiding Sutras; People, Planet, and Progress. These define how AI should empower citizens, protect the environment, and drive inclusive economic growth.
These principles are operationalized through seven thematic Chakras (working groups):
Human Capital development
Inclusion for Social Empowerment
Safe and Trusted AI
Resilient and Sustainable Innovation
Scientific Collaboration
Democratising AI Resources
AI for Economic Growth and Social Good.
Together, these Chakras offer a structured framework to convert policy discussions into measurable outcomes.
The summit’s agenda has been shaped by months of extensive consultations. Inputs were gathered from over 600 citizens through the MyGov platform and engagements with more than 500 organisations.
International brainstorming sessions were also held in cities such as Paris, New York, Tokyo, and Oslo. Nearly 300 pre-summit activities have been organised worldwide, with 57 already conducted across 25+ countries, ensuring broad participation from the Global South and beyond.
Also Read: India Invites China to AI Impact Summit 2026, Signals Global Reset
India AI Impact Summit 2026 is expected to host over 100 global CEOs and senior political leaders. Confirmed participants include Bill Gates, Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind), Dario Amodei (Anthropic), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe), Marc Benioff (Salesforce), Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm), and Raj Subramaniam (FedEx).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the summit. India has also extended an official invitation to China. The move signals a willingness to foster cross-border collaboration on AI governance and standards.
Key global initiatives such as YUVAi, AI by HER, and AI for All have already attracted over 15,000 registrations from 135 countries, with strong participation from developing nations. Highlights include the AI Impact Expo at Bharat Mandapam, a global research symposium, and startup pitch events like UDAAN. Moreover, sector-focused AI compendiums covering healthcare, agriculture, education, energy, gender, and disabilities are expected.
Also Read: Future of AI in Education: Trends, Skills, and Job Impact
Following up on previous global AI talks in places like Bletchley Park, Seoul, Paris, and Kigali, the India AI Impact Summit 2026 wants to go beyond just making statements and actually start creating practical global AI policies. By bringing together new ideas, rules, and making sure everyone can join in, the summit aims to ensure that everyone gets a fair share of AI's advantages. Thus, putting India in a good spot to help shape future global AI standards.
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1. What does the India AI Impact Summit 2026 mean?
The India AI Impact Summit in 2026 aims to ensure that everyone, including developing countries, can benefit from AI and access its technologies, preventing a situation where only a select few companies or nations control these advantages.
2. Where is the India AI Impact Summit 2026 taking place?
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is happening in New Delhi from February 15th to February 20th, 2026. It will bring together policymakers, global leaders, tech CEOs, researchers, innovators, and new AI startups to talk about how AI rules can affect people and society, and how AI is already making a difference in the real world.
3. Why has India chosen to host this global AI summit?
India is hosting this major AI conference to set global AI standards that consider developing countries. The aim is to encourage growth across the AI sector for everyone and make sure developing nations can get their hands on this technology. It's also about creating rules that lead to social and economic advantages by making sure this technology is available to all fairly.
4. Who will be attending the summit?
You can expect Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bill Gates, and the heads of major companies like Google DeepMind, Anthropic, Adobe, Salesforce, Qualcomm, and FedEx to be there. Plus, there will be government officials and delegates from more than 100 countries.
5. How will the summit impact global AI policy?
The goal of the summit is to get past just talking and actually get things done when it comes to AI policies. They'll be looking at how to make sure everyone can access data, computing power, and AI models. This should help countries use AI in a responsible way, making sure that new developments are also fair and good for the environment.