Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the expo and opening ceremony of the India AI Impact Summit, scheduled from February 15–20, 2026. The landmark event will bring together world leaders and top technology executives, including CEOs from Google DeepMind, Anthropic, Adobe, Salesforce, Qualcomm, and FedEx. India expects the “power-packed” summit to conclude with a milestone consensus declaration shaping global AI cooperation.
As the host nation, India is positioning the summit as a platform to build unified global thinking around AI governance, equitable access, and responsible deployment — especially for developing economies.
Both the United States and China are participating, underscoring the significance of the platform amid growing technological rivalry and growing interest in AI regulation worldwide.
IT Secretary S. Krishnan highlighted the impressive roster of speakers and attendees, stating:
"We have confirmations from Bill Gates, Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind), Dario Amodei (Anthropic), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe), Marc Benioff (Salesforce), Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm), and Raj Subramaniam (FedEx)".
A major transition in the summit’s approach will be its emphasis on AI’s real-world benefits and inclusive growth.
Discussing key outcomes expected from the leaders’ declaration, Krishnan said the goal is:
"to get everyone on board" through a consensus declaration.
He further noted:
"One very constructive thing is the way the focus has shifted from the first AI Summit which was primarily about AI safety to this one which is looking at impact and is forward-looking in terms of all the positive benefits that can be generated... so ways in which leaders' declaration can support that, support the inclusion agenda to ensure greater democratisation of AI resources and access to those resources, these would be key elements that we expect in the leaders' declaration."
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is designed to narrow the widening gap between AI-rich and AI-limited nations by:
Supporting indigenous AI innovation
Expanding AI for Good solutions across healthcare, farming, and governance
Aligning global AI standards with needs of developing economies
Seven dedicated working groups will present measurable outcomes demonstrating AI’s impact on:
People
Planet
Progress
Their focus areas include economic growth, human capability building, sustainable industries, and resilient digital ecosystems.
Building on earlier summits hosted in Bletchley Park, Seoul, Paris, and Kigali, India’s edition is expected to draw representation from over 100 countries.
Among expected dignitaries:
Emmanuel Macron (France)
Lula da Silva (Brazil)
Jensen Huang (Nvidia)
Sam Altman (OpenAI)
Lip-Bu Tan (Intel)
Krishnan shared that 50 global CEOs have already confirmed participation — a number expected to rise — while 15–20 countries will send heads of state or government and over 50 nations will participate at ministerial level, including strong representation from the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi will take an active role throughout the event. Besides inaugurating proceedings, he will:
Host a gala dinner on February 18
Participate in the Leaders’ Plenary
Lead discussions at a CEO Roundtable on February 19
These interactions are expected to deepen international cooperation on AI policy, investment, research collaboration, and digital public infrastructure.
On discussions around India potentially joining the Pax Silica alliance focused on semiconductor cooperation, Krishnan reiterated that talks remain ongoing:
"As far as Pax Silica is concerned that is an ongoing process of discussion between India and the US... it takes place in multiple levels... takes place in MEA... at the NSA level. In addition, there are aspects of that dialogue with which IT ministry is also concerned, that is the technical aspect... so that is an ongoing process."
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is expected to:
Strengthen India’s position as a global AI policy leader
Promote ethical, inclusive AI development
Support digital transformation across emerging economies
Encourage collaboration between governments, academia, and private sector technology leaders
With global participation and consensus-driven goals, the summit may become a defining moment for AI governance and innovation pathways.