The corridors of New Delhi have become a focal point of the global technology conversation as political leaders, policymakers, and technology executives converge for the India AI Impact Summit.
At a moment when artificial intelligence is rapidly moving from experimental labs into the core of economies and societies, India is positioning itself not merely as a large market or talent hub, but as a convening power shaping how AI is governed, deployed, and shared worldwide.
The summit, attended by around 20 heads of state and government alongside the world’s most influential technology leaders, marks the first time such a high-profile global AI gathering has been hosted in the Global South.
Its symbolism is matched by substance — India is using the platform to press for globally aligned, development-oriented standards for artificial intelligence that balance innovation, inclusion, and trust.
A global stage for India’s AI vision
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the summit, he does so against a backdrop of renewed international momentum for India.
After a year marked by geopolitical tensions and trade uncertainty, India has entered 2026 with strengthened ties to major economies, including fresh trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, and a renewed focus on long-term growth drivers.
The AI Impact Summit provides a timely platform to project this resurgence into the digital future.
Leaders in attendance include French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and senior figures from the global technology ecosystem, including Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, Dario Amodei, and Microsoft President Brad Smith.
Their presence underscores India’s growing relevance in a field that is reshaping healthcare, education, agriculture, governance, manufacturing, and creative industries at unprecedented speed.
From digital public infrastructure to AI at scale
India’s credibility in global AI discussions rests heavily on its experience in building digital public infrastructure at a national scale.
Platforms such as digital identity and real-time payments have already demonstrated that technology can be deployed to a population of more than 1.4 billion at low cost and with high reliability.
At the summit, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasised that this experience now informs India’s approach to artificial intelligence.
The focus, he noted, is on AI that delivers measurable impact at scale rather than remaining an elite or exclusive technology.
India has operationalised shared computing infrastructure with more than 38,000 high-end graphics processing units, enabling startups, researchers, and public institutions to access advanced AI capabilities without prohibitive upfront costs.
This infrastructure-first strategy is designed to widen participation in AI development and adoption across sectors and regions.
Building global consensus on AI, IP and creativity
A central theme of India’s push at the summit is the need for global consensus on intellectual property and copyright in the age of generative AI.
As large language models and other foundational systems are trained on vast corpora of existing knowledge, including copyrighted material, governments worldwide are grappling with how to protect creators while sustaining innovation.
Addressing a joint conference with Motion Picture Association CEO Charles Rivkin, Vaishnaw outlined India’s call for techno-legal solutions that combine legal safeguards with technical guardrails.
The objective, he said, is to ensure that human creativity is protected and enhanced, allowing creators to deploy their skills with confidence while enabling AI systems to evolve responsibly.
India’s Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Sood has echoed this approach, pointing to the country’s success with digital public infrastructure as a template for AI safety frameworks that are both robust and adaptable.
Global South at the centre of AI governance
Unlike earlier AI summits held in advanced economies, the India AI Impact Summit places the Global South at the centre of the conversation.
Indian officials have consistently framed the country as a bridge between advanced economies and developing nations seeking affordable, open, and development-focused AI solutions.
Senior analysts note that this positioning elevates India’s diplomatic standing.
By foregrounding use cases such as crop advisory systems, health diagnostics, digital tutors, and governance platforms already serving millions, India is demonstrating how AI can address shared challenges across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
This emphasis aligns with India’s broader foreign policy narrative of inclusive growth and South–South cooperation, reinforcing its role as a credible voice for emerging economies in global technology governance.
Investment momentum and the AI economy
The summit also highlights the scale of investment flowing into India’s AI and digital ecosystem.
Global technology companies have collectively committed more than USD 200 billion, equivalent to about INR 18 trillion, towards data centres, cloud infrastructure, and AI capabilities in India over the coming years.
Google’s planned USD 15 billion investment, Microsoft’s USD 17.5 billion commitment, and Amazon’s pledge of USD 35 billion by 2030 reflect confidence in India as a long-term growth market.
These investments are supported by policy measures such as long-term tax holidays for data centres, designed to provide certainty and attract global capital.
India’s animation and visual effects sector, valued at around INR 10,300 crore or USD 114 million, and its gaming industry, estimated at INR 23,200 crore or USD 258 million, further illustrate how AI is intersecting with the country’s expanding creator economy.
Education, talent and future workforce
Recognising that standards and infrastructure must be matched by human capability, India has linked its AI strategy closely with education and skilling.
The Union Budget for FY2026–27 proposed the establishment of AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges nationwide, embedding creative and digital skills within the formal education system.
With industry projections suggesting that the AVGC sector alone will require nearly two million professionals by 2030, these initiatives aim to align talent development with emerging economic opportunities.
India’s young, tech-savvy population and widespread 5G connectivity are expected to accelerate AI adoption across industries.
Towards shared global standards
While the AI Impact Summit is not expected to produce a binding international treaty, its significance lies in agenda-setting.
India has made clear that it does not see itself merely as a rule-taker or unilateral rule-maker, but as an active participant in shaping practical, workable global norms.
By convening political leaders, technology firms, researchers, and multilateral institutions in New Delhi, India is signalling that the future of artificial intelligence governance must be inclusive, distributed, and development-focused.
The summit reflects a growing recognition that AI’s benefits, risks, and rules cannot be decided by a handful of countries or corporations alone.
As discussions continue through the week, India’s message is consistent and forward-looking: artificial intelligence should serve humanity, strengthen economies, and expand opportunity at scale.
In pushing for global AI standards rooted in cooperation and trust, India is asserting its place not only in the AI race but in defining the rules of the algorithmic age.
