Ethical AI is mandatory, not optional: Soha Ali Khan at AI Impact Summit

India AI Impact Summit 2026: Soha Ali Khan warned that as AI grows, women face rising online risks like deepfakes and data misuse, and said ethical safeguards are now essential, not optional

Actor Soha Ali Khan, speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 on Monday, raised concerns about rising risks for women in the fast-changing digital world, highlighting strong ethical safeguards in artificial intelligence are now essential.  

Khan, an advocate for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was speaking during a session titled 'Reimagining Gender in Technology – Designing safer digital futures and advancing ethical ai for inclusive platforms'. She talked about how technology has changed opportunities for women in India. 

"I've watched this transformation across India as well. Young women have built businesses online. Girls are still attending stories that one side was faced in entrepreneurs," she said, pointing to how digital platforms are helping women become entrepreneurs and share their stories. 

Soha added that digital literacy programmes and online tools have created new opportunities for learning and expression. "AI is extraordinary. It improves healthcare access, it expands education. It helps to close maternal health gaps. And through my work, I've seen how digital tools like these are really empowering, from digital literacy programs to young girls becoming very confident storytellers," she said.

Technology also reflecting social inequalities

Soha warned that the digital space is not free from bias or inequality. "Digital world is not neutral. It reflects the society that builds it. And now AI is accelerating everything," she said. 

She noted that while AI brings many benefits, it is also being misused rapidly. "But AI is also making it faster, cheaper and stable. It's easier, easier than ever now to impersonate someone, to create deep fakes, to manipulate images, to misuse personal data. And most women, unfortunately, we don't know how to fight back," she said. 

Ethical AI a necessity, not a choice

Soha stressed that the problem goes beyond technology alone. "This is not just a tech issue. It is a mental health issue, it is a public health issue, and it is a human rights issue, which is why ethical AI is not optional. I would say it is mandatory," she said. 

She also suggested what ethical AI should include. "And when I say ethical AI, I mean safety by design, privacy by default, meaningful concept, clear reporting system, real accountability," she said.

UNFPA flags accountability gaps in AI systems

Speaking at the same session, Andrea Wojnar of UNFPA spoke about the lack of accountability in AI systems, calling them unequal and biased. "It is unequal and biased," she said. 

She added that AI is reshaping both risks and opportunities. "AI is reshaping risks but possibilities also. AI will influence safety. But trust is also an economic issue, and for those of you who attended our session in December with our private sector tech partners, you'll know that when people, especially women and girls, feel unsafe, online participation drops and the promise of the digital economy narrows," Wojnar said. 

"When users don't trust AI enabled services, adoption slows and reputation risks grow. Digital economy does not reach its potential," she said. 

India AI Impact Summit 2026

The India AI Impact Summit is being held from February 16 to 20 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. It brings together global leaders, policymakers and technology experts, marking one of the first major AI events hosted in the Global South. 

Top global tech figures expected at the event include Sundar Pichai of Google, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, and researchers Yann LeCun and Arthur Mensch. Indian business leaders such as Mukesh Ambani, N Chandrasekaran, Salil Parekh, Nikesh Arora and Shantanu Narayen are also slated to attend the event.