What India wants from its 'impact-first' global AI summit in Delhi

As New Delhi hosts the first global AI summit in the Global South, India is shifting the debate from AI safety and regulation to real-world impact, public value and development outcomes

When New Delhi hosts the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 from February 16 to 20, the government is not pitching it as another global talking shop on artificial intelligence. Instead, India is trying to reposition the global AI debate away from fear-driven regulation and more towards deployment, delivery and development outcomes, particularly for the Global South, as announced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

 

The summit, to be held at Bharat Mandapam, is being touted as the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South. Beyond symbolism, it reflects what India wants AI governance to prioritise in terms of access, scale and measurable public value.

 

 

Why is India calling this an ‘impact’ summit?

 

Unlike earlier global AI gatherings, India has been explicit that the focus of this summit will not be on drafting binding rules or emergency safety frameworks. Instead, the stated aim is to generate actionable recommendations that can inform long-term AI governance rather than immediate regulation.

 

Officials have described the summit as “impact-focused”, meaning the emphasis is on how AI is already being used or can be used in governance, public service delivery, industry and sustainable development. This framing aligns with India’s broader pitch that AI should function as a strategic national tool to democratise technology and extend its benefits beyond advanced economies.

 

How is this different from earlier global AI summits?

 

The India-AI Impact Summit comes at the end of a three-stage evolution in global AI diplomacy. The AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in November 2023 was dominated by concerns over catastrophic risks and produced the Bletchley Declaration. The Seoul summit in May 2024 expanded the scope to include innovation and inclusivity, while the Paris AI Action Summit in February 2025 pushed the conversation towards implementation and economic opportunity.

 

India’s intervention builds on this trajectory but shifts the centre of gravity. Rather than foregrounding existential risk or regulatory architecture, New Delhi is centring the discussion on outcomes such as what Electronics and IT Secretary S Krishnan has described as “People, Planet and Progress”.

 

What does ‘People, Planet and Progress’ actually mean?

 

These three “sutras”, as the government has termed them, are the organising principles of the summit. “People” refers to human-centric AI systems that can improve access to services, protect rights and build trust, particularly in large, diverse societies. “Planet” focuses on sustainability, acknowledging rising concerns about AI’s energy and resource footprint. “Progress” centres on productivity, innovation and economic growth, especially for countries still building digital capacity.

 

Together, these frameworks signal India’s intent to align AI development with welfare, inclusion and environmental limits rather than treating it as a purely commercial or strategic arms race.

 

Who is attending, and why does it matter?

 

The scale of participation is central to India’s ambition. The government expects delegates from over 100 countries, including 15 to 20 heads of government, more than 50 ministers and over 40 global and Indian chief executives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the summit and host closed-door engagements with industry leaders.

 

Among the anticipated attendees are global technology figures such as Sundar Pichai and Dario Amodei, with Sam Altman also reportedly expected in New Delhi for side meetings. India has also invited China, which has participated in all previous AI summits, signalling New Delhi’s attempt to keep the forum broadly inclusive rather than bloc-driven.

 

What role do startups, research and language models play?

 

Beyond high-level diplomacy, India is using the summit to showcase domestic capability. The event will host a startup showcase featuring more than 500 AI startups and around 500 sessions, making it one of the largest AI convenings so far.

 

The government is also expected to launch indigenous AI language models, both foundational and small language models, aligning with the Rs 10,370 crore IndiaAI Mission. A dedicated Research Symposium on February 18 will bring researchers, policymakers and practitioners together, with a strong focus on Global South research that is often under-represented in global AI discourse.

 

What are India’s constraints behind the ambition?

 

The summit also comes amid structural challenges at home. India remains dependent on imported GPUs and advanced computing hardware, limiting self-reliance in AI infrastructure. Energy is another constraint facing India’s AI ambitions. As India courts global data centres backed by long tax holidays, it is also signalling openness to nuclear power as a future energy source for AI-driven data infrastructure, as highlighted by Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

 

Hotel demand in Delhi reflects the summit’s scale

 

The summit’s reach is already visible in Delhi’s hospitality market. Five-star hotel room rates in central Delhi have surged sharply ahead of the event, with standard luxury rooms typically priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 40,000 per night now selling at significantly higher peak-season tariffs.

 

Reports show peak prices touching Rs 4–5 lakh per night in some luxury categories, with travel portals indicating rates in excess of Rs 1 lakh per night across multiple properties. High demand and near-full occupancy, driven by tens of thousands of international registrations, are pushing prices beyond normal levels for the February travel window.