PM Modi inaugurates India-AI Impact Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 16 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Highlights of the Summit:

• The India-AI Impact Summit was announced by PM Modi at the France AI Action Summit.

• It is the first global AI gathering to be hosted in the Global South.

• Building on the momentum of leading international forums such as the UK AI Safety Summit, the AI Seoul Summit, the France AI Action Summit, and the Global AI Summit on Africa, this high-level convening marks a critical inflection point. 

• The five-day Summit will witness participation from over 100 government representatives, including more than 20 Heads of State and 60 ministers and vice ministers, along with over 500 global AI leaders comprising CEOs, founders, academicians, researchers and philanthropic organisations.

• It will strengthen existing multilateral initiatives while advancing new priorities, deliverables, and cooperative frameworks, moving from high-level political statements to demonstrable impact and tangible progress in global AI cooperation.

• The Summit charts a path towards a future where the transformative power of AI serves humanity, drives inclusive growth, fosters social development, and promotes people-centric innovations that protect our planet. 

• It seeks to translate global AI deliberations into actionable development outcomes under the IndiaAI Mission and the Digital India initiative.

The Three Sutras and Seven Chakras

The Summit is anchored on three foundational pillars, known as ‘Sutras’ — a Sanskrit term meaning guiding principles or essential threads that weave together wisdom and action. 

They are: 

i) People: AI must serve humanity in all its diversity, preserving dignity and ensuring inclusivity.

ii) Planet: AI innovation must align with environmental stewardship and sustainability.

iii) Progress: AI’s benefits must be equitably shared, advancing global development and prosperity.

• These Sutras define how AI can be harnessed through multilateral cooperation for collective benefit.

Building on the three foundational Sutras, the deliberations at the AI Impact Summit are structured around seven Chakras. 

i) Human Capital: This chakra focuses on building an equitable AI reskilling ecosystem through targeted skilling. For India, this strengthens workforce readiness for the AI economy, aligned with national development priorities.

ii) Inclusion for Social Empowerment: This chakra focuses on enabling inclusive participation through shared AI solutions and scalable models. This supports delivery of citizen-centric AI solutions and strengthens last-mile services in India.

iii) Safe and Trusted AI: This chakra focuses on translating global principles for responsible AI into practical, interoperable safety and governance frameworks. For India, this strengthens domestic AI governance, supports safe deployment of AI across public platforms and builds public trust while enabling innovation.

iv) Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency: This chakra focuses on addressing the growing environmental and resource challenges posed by large scale AI systems, which risk deepening the global AI divide. For India, it supports sustainable AI adoption, ensuring AI growth remains environmentally responsible and socially equitable.

v) Science: This chakra focuses on harnessing AI to accelerate discovery while correcting deep inequities in access to data, compute, and research capacity. For India, it strengthens research ecosystems, accelerates solutions in health, agriculture, and climate, and positions India as an active contributor to global scientific advancement.

vi) Democratising AI Resources: This chakra envisions a global AI ecosystem where access to foundational enablers of AI development is equitable and affordable for all. For India, it expands access for startups, researchers, and public institutions while ensuring equitable participation in global AI value chains.

vii) AI for Economic Growth & Social Good: This chakra explores approaches to harness AI’s potential for truly inclusive growth, recognising and supporting high impact use cases that become examples of AI for both economic growth and social good.

• Together, these Chakras provide a comprehensive framework for countries, international organisations, and stakeholders to align AI strategies, promote shared learning, and deploy AI solutions that maximise collective benefits while addressing common challenges.

• The Summit will conclude with deliberations on scaling AI for inclusive economic growth, strengthening international partnerships and advancing responsible innovation frameworks for the Global South.

• By linking policy with implementation and innovation with public purpose, the Summit establishes a structured approach to responsible AI deployment. 

• It aligns technological advancement with inclusive growth and sustainable development.

• The Summit positions India as a convenor and partner in global AI cooperation, supporting shared standards, collaborative frameworks, and scalable solutions for public good. 

• It marks a transition from dialogue to delivery, reinforcing India’s commitment to responsible, inclusive, and development-focused AI pathways.