AI must remain human-centric, inclusive: IT Secretary ahead of mega summit

Ahead of the AI Impact Summit, IT Secretary S Krishnan has said the key message India wants to send to the world is that artificial intelligence must remain human-centric and inclusive, with democratic access to AI resources.

In an interview with PTI, Krishnan said AI should be a positive force for the global economy, with the potential to drive growth across all parts of the world, including India and the Global South.

"The key message that we want to send is that whatever happens with AI needs to be human-centric and inclusive. There needs to be a democratic access to AI resources, and it needs to be done in a way that people and humans are at the centre of this process," Krishnan said.

 

As countries prepare for deeper AI-adoption across sectors, India is positioning itself as a voice for equitable growth in the emerging technology landscape.

According to Krishnan, the broader goals are to ensure that AI becomes a truly inclusive technology, with the benefits of prosperity reaching all.

India is all set to host the India AI Impact Summit 2026, positioning the country at the centre for critical global conversations on AI governance, safety and economic growth. The summit will bring together policymakers, industry leaders and technology innovators at a time when nations are racing to define the AI agenda.

Krishnan underlined that AI must be leveraged as a "positive impetus" for the global economy, capable of putting the world on a higher growth trajectory.

The summit, he said, is aimed at fostering a meeting of minds among nations on how to approach a technology likely to shape global progress over the coming years.

"We need to look at it as a huge positive impetus to the overall economy, and the possibility of using AI, of leveraging this technology, to see growth across the world, including India, including the rest of the Global South, so that it becomes truly an inclusive technology, which puts the world on a higher growth trajectory, with benefits of prosperity reaching everybody," Krishnan said.

He noted that while investment announcements and partnerships could emerge from the mega gathering, the summit is a platform to deepen global understanding of AI, assess its impact on humanity, and deliberate on the steps needed to maximise its positive and beneficial effects for all.

"It is a summit to expand our understanding of AI. It's a summit to expand how we believe AI will impact humankind, and what is it that we need to do to make sure that the beneficial and positive impact of AI is expanded to the extent possible," Krishnan said.

He noted that the India AI mission supports indigenous foundational models.

"...foundational models include some large language models, some small language models, multimodal models, Vision models, quantitative models, and a range of models. And as you're aware, the Prime Minister interacted with 12 startups and research institutions which were working on their models...in the coming week, we should see unveiling of some of the models, some of the work that has been done under the India mission," the IT Ministry's top bureaucrat said.

Krishnan noted that India has adopted an "innovation-first" approach in AI, while remaining prepared to regulate swiftly, if needed. Wherever possible, existing laws and regulatory frameworks would be leveraged, an approach also recommended by the Principal Scientific Adviser-led AI governance group.

"Each society, each country, does it in a way that suits its objective situation. And I think India's approach is what is best suited for our own needs," Krishnan said, adding that "we will legislate when the need arises, and we stand ready to put together a law, if need be, at short notice".

The summit presents a strong opportunity to highlight the work being undertaken by Indian companies and startups, as well as the depth of research and policy thinking that has emerged in the AI space in recent years, he pointed out.

"It's a wonderful occasion for people to converge on one platform and one forum to talk about issues which concern them...that should result in valuable outcomes," he said.