New Delhi: The IndiaAI Impact Summit, described as one of the largest gatherings focused on artificial intelligence, commenced on 16 February at Bharat Mandapam. A senior government official stated that the high-profile event is expected to host participants from 100 country delegations, with around 2.5 lakh registrations recorded. According to a senior government official, nearly 20 Heads of Government and Heads of State are set to join the summit, along with representatives from 40 universities, 100 CEOs, and more than 500 experts.
The opening day signalled a shift in India’s AI discourse, from conceptual discussions about future possibilities to operational deployment across governance systems. Sessions reflected a clear focus on embedding artificial intelligence into public infrastructure, including road safety systems, judicial processes, audit mechanisms and welfare delivery frameworks. The emphasis was not on isolated experimentation but on integrating AI into institutional structures to enhance efficiency and transparency.
Union Minister for Electronics and IT, speaking at the summit, said: “We from the government are facilitating reskilling, upskilling and new skilling, the existing workforce needs to be reskilled, people should be upskilled, and a new talent pipeline must be created. That is the government’s thought process. At the AI Summit, there is a creative track, along with industrial and citizen-centric tracks. There are discussions on AI safety and cybersecurity as well. Over the next few days, as the world’s AI leadership gathers here to deliberate on various issues, we intend to come out with ‘Impact’ as the core theme. In this summit, we are examining what the impact of the IndiaAI Summit will be on human society.”
Meanwhile, MoS Jitin Prasada stated: “This is among the first occasions where a country from the Global South is hosting such a major AI gathering, bringing together not just the Global South but the entire world. This is not AI only for India, it is AI for the world. India aims to position itself as a service provider at a global level. We have a responsibility to contribute not only to the world at large but especially to the Global South and other developing nations.”
At the summit was present S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT. He said: “The enthusiasm to participate in the event has grown tremendously. We have received more than 2.5 lakh registrations from across India and around the world. We have made every possible arrangement to accommodate participants. On all days except the 19th, attendees are welcome to join and participate in the various sessions being held.”
Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary and CEO of the IndiaAI Mission at the Ministry of Electronics and IT, said: “People are here to create value and to show how they can learn about technology, how they can adopt to technology, how they can build to improve lives. How AI can improve the lives of farmers, healthcare, impact education, how we can help people with disabilities. There are so many solutions featured in the expo area, not built by big companies but young startups, building something to make a change.”
Discussions throughout the day highlighted that as AI becomes embedded in civic systems, standards for accountability, reliability and oversight must rise correspondingly. Policymakers and experts underscored the need to operationalise responsible AI through evaluation protocols, quality infrastructure, risk management frameworks and institutional safeguards. Rather than framing regulation and innovation as opposing forces, the conversations centred on building trust into AI systems from the outset.
Another prominent theme was technological sovereignty. Conversations around compute capacity, hardware ecosystems, secure infrastructure and data architecture reflected growing recognition that AI leadership is closely linked to domestic capability building. Indigenous technology pathways and secure digital infrastructure were repeatedly emphasised as strategic priorities.
With global leadership, academia, industry and startups converging under one platform, the summit’s early proceedings suggest that India’s AI push is entering a more execution-driven phase, focused on measurable societal impact rather than abstract technological ambition.
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