Vaishnaw apologises for disruptions on Day 1 of India AI Impact Summit

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday apologised for the widespread disruptions on the first day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Speaking on the second day of the summit, Vaishnaw extended an apology for the inconvenience that the stakeholders had to face on the opening day of the gathering.

 

The opening day was marked by long queues, overcrowding, technological failures, including Wi-Fi disruptions and UPI connectivity issues, organisational lapses, and even allegations of theft. Several founders and stakeholders voiced their disappointment on the social media platform X.

What happened on Day 1 of India AI Impact Summit?

On the first day, attendees reported waiting in queues for up to three hours just to enter the venue. Many were asked to sit on the ground due to a lack of seating, while the registration system reportedly crashed multiple times. Some participants who had registered weeks in advance reported being unable to enter.

 

 

Unclear instructions further added to the confusion, particularly when parts of the exhibition building were suddenly vacated ahead of security sweeps for high-level arrivals.

 

Additionally, organisational gaps reportedly prevented some industry leaders from accessing their own booths for several hours.

 

Attendees noted that there was no functioning Wi-Fi at the venue. Food stalls and eateries reportedly shifted to cash-only payments due to the lack of internet connectivity, which also affected UPI transactions.

 

The summit website also faced glitches. During some sessions, speakers were not clearly visible, nameplates were missing, and audio quality was poor. A few sessions did not begin at their scheduled time as reflected on the website.

What it matters

The government positioned the summit, which runs until February 20, as a platform to amplify the voices of developing nations in global AI governance.

 

Several global technology leaders, including Sundar Pichai of Alphabet, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, and Alexandr Wang of Meta Platforms, are expected to attend in the coming days.

 

However, the disarray at an event of international stature risks overshadowing the government’s messaging on India’s technological capabilities and its leadership in AI governance.