India is set to host the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, the first global Artificial Intelligence summit to be held in the Global South, from February 16 to 20, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Envisioned as a comprehensive five-day engagement, the Summit will bring together global leaders, policymakers, industry captains, researchers, startups, students and civil society representatives to deliberate on how Artificial Intelligence can be harnessed as a force for inclusive growth, sustainable development and improved governance.
Anchored in the overarching theme of Welfare for All, Happiness of All, the Summit reflects India’s development-first approach to AI and its alignment with the national vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. The programme is designed to move beyond abstract debates on AI and focus on practical, scalable and people-centric applications that deliver measurable social and economic outcomes.
At the core of the India–AI Impact Summit 2026 are three foundational guiding principles, referred to as Sutras — People, Planet and Progress. These Sutras will shape discussions on deploying AI in ways that empower citizens, protect the environment and accelerate equitable economic and technological advancement. The Summit positions AI not merely as a technological breakthrough, but as a strategic enabler for governance reform, public service delivery, innovation and sustainability.
The Summit will span policy dialogues, leader-level engagements, research presentations, industry showcases and public-facing events. A major highlight will be the India AI Impact Expo 2026, expected to host over 300 exhibitors from around 30 countries across multiple thematic pavilions. Spread over more than 70,000 square metres, the Expo will demonstrate how AI solutions are transitioning from research labs and pilot projects to large-scale deployment across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education, finance, urban infrastructure, mobility and energy.
India’s expanding AI ecosystem will be showcased through real-world use cases. In healthcare, AI-enabled telemedicine, diagnostics and predictive analytics are improving access and outcomes, particularly in rural and underserved regions. In agriculture, AI-driven advisories, drone monitoring, satellite imagery and price prediction models are enhancing productivity and farmer incomes. In education, adaptive learning platforms, AI-based tutoring systems and language translation tools are improving access and personalisation. AI applications in finance and governance are strengthening fraud detection, financial inclusion, service delivery and transparency.
The Summit’s deliberations will be structured around seven thematic areas, known as Chakras, which represent priority domains for multilateral cooperation. These include human capital and skilling, social inclusion and empowerment, safe and trusted AI governance, resilience and sustainability, scientific research and innovation, democratisation of AI resources, and AI for economic growth and social good. Together, these Chakras provide a framework for aligning global AI strategies with shared development objectives while addressing concerns related to bias, trust, access, environmental impact and ethical deployment.
A series of pre-Summit engagements have already laid the groundwork for the main event. Eight Regional AI Conferences held between October 2025 and January 2026 across Meghalaya, Gujarat, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala and Telangana, in partnership with state governments, have identified region-specific use cases, policy inputs and capacity gaps. These consultations ensure that the Summit’s outcomes are informed by grassroots realities as well as national and global priorities.
Key knowledge outputs of the Summit will include the release of the AI Compendium on February 17, 2026, documenting case studies of AI applications across priority sectors, and the Research Symposium on AI and its Impact on February 18, 2026, bringing together researchers from India, the Global South and the international community. These platforms aim to strengthen evidence-based policymaking, foster collaboration and promote responsible AI innovation.
Flagship initiatives linked to the Summit include the AI for All Global Impact Challenge, AI by HER Global Impact Challenge and the YUVAi Global Youth Challenge, which seek to identify high-impact AI solutions from startups, women technologists and young innovators. Selected solutions will be showcased at the Summit, reinforcing the emphasis on inclusivity, diversity and youth participation in shaping the AI future.
The Summit will culminate in high-level leader engagements, CEO roundtables and meetings of the Global Partnership on AI Council. Supported by key national institutions such as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the IndiaAI Mission, Software Technology Parks of India and the Digital India initiative, the Summit is designed to ensure continuity between policy discussions and implementation.
By hosting the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, India aims to position itself as a global hub for responsible, inclusive and development-oriented AI. The Summit is expected to strengthen international cooperation, promote ethical AI frameworks and offer scalable models that are particularly relevant for emerging economies and the Global South, while reinforcing India’s role as a trusted partner in shaping the future of Artificial Intelligence.
