India AI Impact Summit 2026 enters Day 2: Key sessions to watch today

Day 2 of the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam will see key talks on AI in healthcare, rural livelihoods, defence and economic growth, along with the launch of major AI casebooks

As the India-AI Impact Summit enters its second day on Tuesday, discussions will focus on how AI can be used in healthcare, education, governance and economic growth, along with talks on infrastructure and global cooperation. Key speakers expected today include former G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and HCLTech Chairperson Roshni Nadar

 

Union Health Minister JP Nadda will also launch two major initiatives -- Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India (SAHI) and the Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI (BODH).

 

In addition, flagship AI Impact casebooks covering sectors such as health, education, agriculture, energy, gender empowerment and disability inclusion will be released.

 

 

Why today matters

 

The second day is focused on practical applications of AI and how it can deliver real-world impact. Discussions will look at how AI can support rural women, improve healthcare delivery, strengthen education systems and help India’s defence ecosystem. A seminar on applied AI will also explore how research is moving into real-world deployment.

 

At the South Plaza in Bharat Mandapam, Sangeet Natak Akademi under the Ministry of Culture will present a special programme titled 'India’s Journey from Tradition to Technology'. It will feature classical and folk performances such as Nritta Melakam and Jayati Jai Mama Bharatam and will take place after the awards ceremony for winners of the three Flagship Global Impact Challenges.   

 

Sessions to track and key speakers

 

• Global cooperation and public good 

The AI for Impact – Global South Forum will discuss how countries are using AI for public welfare. Speakers include Janet Zhou of the Gates Foundation, Johan Harvard of the Tony Blair Institute and Sunil Wadhwani of Wadhwani AI.

 

• Infrastructure and governance 

The 'Building a Trusted and Resilient AI Infrastructure Ecosystem' panel will examine secure AI systems and policy frameworks. Speakers include Ankit Bose from Nasscom and Rishikesh Kanegaonkar of Nayara Energy.

 

Another session on Building India’s AI Governance Architecture will explore national-scale AI institutions. Speakers include former G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant and Gaurav Aggarwal of Reliance Jio.

 

• Technology and deployment

 

The AI Masterclass in Robotics, led by Tata Consultancy Services, will show how AI can be used in industrial inspection and automation. Speakers include Laksh Parthasarthy and Naresh Mehta.

 

• Healthcare and education impact

 

The Launch of AI Impact Casebooks – Health & Education session will present real-world use cases and policy insights. Speakers include S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY; Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship among others. 

 

• Women, youth and inclusion

 

The Women & Youth in AI session will highlight leadership and innovation. Speakers include Roshni Nadar, Chairperson, HCL Technologies and Varin Sikka, Founder, Carboon Inc.

 

The AI for ALL & AI by HER session will feature a keynote by Union Minister for Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw outlining the summit’s vision and national priorities for AI innovation.

 

• Economy and productivity 

The 'Putting AI to Work' panel will discuss national AI strategies and adoption challenges. Speakers include David Zapolsky, Chief Global Affairs & Legal Officer at Amazon; Kanishka Narayan, Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom; S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, among others.

 

• Education and future talent 

The 'Pushing the Frontier of AI in Education' session will focus on curriculum changes and institutional transformation. Speakers include Dr Sridhar Vembu, Zoho Corporation; Prof Manindra Agrawal, IIT Kanpur; Prof Sunita Sarawagi, IIT Bombay among others.

 

• Global data and AI commons 

The AI Commons for the Global South session will examine shared data and computing frameworks. Speakers include Prachi Bhatia, Public Policy Manager at Meta; PJ Narayanan, IIIT Hyderabad among others. 

 

What happened on Day 1

 

The India AI Impact Summit began on Monday (February 16) in New Delhi, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, startups and global delegations at Bharat Mandapam. The five-day event, running from February 16 to 20, is being seen as the first global AI summit of this scale hosted in the Global South.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Expo and interacted with startups showcasing their innovations. The expo features over 300 exhibition pavilions organised around three themes -- People, Planet and Progress.