The India AI Impact Summit 2026 commenced on Monday, assembling an unprecedented coalition of political leaders, technology executives and policy experts.
The forum marks the first global congregation of this magnitude on artificial intelligence to be convened in the Global South.
The five-day conclave, scheduled to continue until February 20, has drawn participation from more than 100 government delegations.
The gathering includes over 20 Heads of State and Government and upwards of 60 Ministers and Vice Ministers.
More than 500 prominent AI figures are also in attendance. These comprise chief executives, founders, chief technology officers, academics, scientists and philanthropic institutions.
On February 19, Narendra Modi will deliver the inaugural address. He will outline India’s roadmap for inclusive and accountable artificial intelligence while advocating deeper global collaboration.
A central feature of the summit remains the three flagship Global Impact Challenges: AI for ALL, AI by HER and YUVAi.
Organisers designed these initiatives to promote inclusive, development-centric and ethically grounded AI solutions.
The challenges attracted more than 4,650 applications from over 60 nations.
This robust international response underscores India’s growing stature as a credible hub for responsible and scalable AI innovation.
An expert panel comprising policymakers, domain specialists and industry leaders conducted a rigorous multi-stage assessment.
The jury selected the top 70 teams across categories as finalists.
These teams will present their innovations during the Grand Finale and Awards Felicitation Ceremony on February 16 and 17 at Bharat Mandapam and Sushma Swaraj Bhawan.
Finalists will interact with investors, policymakers and academic leaders to secure support for global scaling.
The summit will also host the Research Symposium on AI and Its Impact on February 18 in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad.
The symposium has received approximately 250 research submissions from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Alar Karis and Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will attend the academic forum.
Experts will deliberate on AI-driven scientific discovery, governance frameworks, equitable computing access and collaborative research across the Global South.
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