India is set to bring the Global South firmly into the global artificial intelligence conversation as New Delhi hosts the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 from February 16 to 20. The five-day event positions India as a key global voice advocating AI for development, inclusion, and public good.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the summit is anchored in three guiding “Sutras”: People, Planet, and Progress, reflecting India’s cooperative and human-centric approach to AI. Major venues across the capital, led by Bharat Mandapam and Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, will host over two lakh participants from governments, industry, academia, civil society, and notably, farmers and grassroots innovators.

The summit’s leaders’ segment will feature high-level participation at the invitation of Narendra Modi, including Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Emmanuel Macron, Pedro Sánchez, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Dick Schoof.

Unlike earlier AI summits in the UK, South Korea, and France that focused on safety and governance, India is foregrounding AI as a development enabler. Structured around seven thematic “chakras”, the summit will address democratisation of AI, economic growth, social empowerment, and workforce transitions.

The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 signals India’s intent to reshape the global AI agenda by placing people, sustainability, and inclusive progress at its core.