New Delhi opened the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, today, marking one of the largest global gatherings on artificial intelligence to be hosted in the Global South. The five-day event has drawn a high-profile mix of political leadership, technology companies, research institutions and startup founders to deliberate on the next phase of AI innovation, governance and talent development.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the host nation’s participation and will formally inaugurate the India AI Impact Expo. Confirmed international attendees include Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau, along with ministers from several G20 and Global South countries. Their presence signals the growing geopolitical importance of AI in trade, security, skilling and digital public infrastructure.
The opening sessions focused on the structural impact of AI on employment, education and governance. Policy discussions examined how emerging technologies can improve public service delivery, including the use of AI-enabled systems to enhance judicial efficiency and reduce case backlogs through data-driven decision support.
The India AI Impact Expo, one of the summit’s central attractions, features more than 600 startups, country pavilions and enterprise-grade solutions. The showcase highlights real-world deployments of AI across healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, financial services and citizen services, and is expected to draw over 2.5 lakh visitors.
The broader programme includes leadership dialogues, CEO roundtables, a dedicated research symposium and multiple thematic tracks built around the pillars of People, Planet and Progress. Bilateral meetings between India and participating countries are expected to focus on semiconductor collaboration, compute capacity, investment partnerships and future-ready skilling frameworks.
Extensive security and traffic management measures are in place across central Delhi to facilitate VVIP movement while minimising disruption to board examinations and daily commuters.
With participation from leading global policymakers and technology players, the summit is being positioned as a strategic platform for shaping AI standards, scaling innovation ecosystems and reinforcing India’s ambition to become a key node in the global digital economy.
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