Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 16 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, marking Day 1 of the five-day event running through February 20. The summit draws over 100 countries, featuring 20 heads of state, 3,250 speakers, and 500+ sessions focused on AI’s role in people, planet, and progress.
Key Highlights from Day 1
Modi toured the AI Impact Expo, interacting with 600 startups and 13 country pavilions, emphasizing India’s AI advancements through digital infrastructure, startups, and research. Heavy crowds caused logistical delays and traffic issues, with AI-enabled security deploying 10,000 personnel across 10 zones. Modi highlighted the theme “Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya” for AI-driven welfare and innovation.
Day 2 Expectations
Union Health Minister J P Nadda will launch SAHI (AI in Healthcare for India) and BODH (Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI). Sessions target applied AI and social equity, part of seven “chakras” covering resilience, human capital, safe AI, and democratizing resources.
Prominent Attendees
World leaders include France’s Emmanuel Macron, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Spain’s Pedro Sanchez, Greece’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis, UAE’s Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and others from Switzerland, Netherlands, and Serbia. Tech CEOs like OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani also participate.
Summit Goals
Anchored in three sutras—People, Planet, Progress—the event seeks global consensus on responsible AI, positioning India as an AI service hub with equitable access to compute and data. It builds on prior summits like Bletchley Park and Paris, shifting focus to positive impacts.
