India Steps into Global Spotlight with Landmark AI Impact Summit

NEW DELHI: India is all geared up to host the AI Impact Summit 2026 from Monday at the Bharat Mandapam here. The Global AI Summit, which will conclude on February 20, is being billed by the organizers as the largest AI summit ever held globally and the first of its kind in the Global South.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the event at the Paris AI Action Summit last year and will formally inaugurate it on Thursday, followed by a CEO roundtable with global industry leaders and policymakers.

The five-day summit draws delegations from over 100 countries, including 15 to 20 heads of state. French President Emmanuel Macron attends during his fourth visit to India, deepening AI cooperation as part of a joint India-France Year of Innovation 2026. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrives with a large business delegation. Finland, Slovakia, Switzerland, the UAE, and Spain are also represented at head-of-government level.

The technology lineup is equally notable. Sam Altman of OpenAI, Sundar Pichai of Google, and Anthropic’s leadership are confirmed attendees. A US delegation of more than 120 senior executives from over 100 companies is organized by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, co-led by Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen and FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam.

White House adviser Michael Kratsios heads the official US government delegation.

India plans to present its IndiaAI Mission at the summit, including 12 indigenous foundation models built by domestic startups and research institutions. The expo component spans 70,000 square meters and features over 300 exhibitors from 30 countries. The summit’s shift in framing from AI safety toward AI impact and measurable outcomes, signals where global AI governance priorities are heading in 2026.

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