PM Modi, Emmanuel Macron, Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman among leaders at India’s mega AI Impact Summit

In just a few hours, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to open India’s biggest global AI summit as top technology leaders and global government heads descend in New Delhi for the AI Impact Summit 2026. The summit, running from February 16 to 20 at the sprawling Bharat Mandapam conference complex in the national capital, marks the first time a major global AI forum of this scale is being held in the Global South. It indicates India’s growing clout in the rapidly-evolving world of AI, especially as around 40 technology heads will be speaking at the event including Google’s Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen, Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon, Ericsson Group President & CEO Borje Ekholm, Meta Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, and Microsoft’s Brad Smith.PM Modi is also slated to host a dinner and address a CEO roundtable. The heads of state set to visit the conference include French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Switzerland’s President Guy Parmelin, Spain’s President Pedro Sanchez Perez, Netherlands’s Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and Estonia’s President Alar Karis.The govt has identified ‘Three Sutras’ which are shaping a sustainable AI future. These are ‘People’, ‘Planet’ and ‘Progress’. “People means AI must serve humanity in all its diversity, preserving dignity and ensuring inclusivity. Planet means AI innovation must align with environmental stewardship and sustainability, and Progress means AI's benefits must be equitably shared, advancing global development and prosperity,” a top official of the IT Ministry said.“India looks forward to welcoming the world to the AI Impact Summit in February 2026. We have picked the theme of Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya or welfare for all, happiness for all,” PM Modi said in a pre-opening message. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said India’s AI strategy is based on the vision to democratize the use of technology. “It aims to address India centric challenges, create economic and employment opportunities for all.”The summit marks another step in the fast-shifting global dialogue on how artificial intelligence should be governed and developed. The conversation first took structured shape at the AI Safety Summit held at Bletchley Park in November 2023, where 28 nations endorsed the Bletchley Declaration, committing to assess and address emerging risks linked to advanced AI systems.By May 2024, the Seoul Summit widened the lens, moving beyond safety to also highlight innovation and equitable access. The Paris AI Action Summit in February 2025 shifted the focus yet again — this time toward real-world deployment and economic potential — even as concerns around safety and security received comparatively less attention.According to organisers, more than 35,000 registrations have been recorded, with delegates expected to participate in hundreds of sessions that explore the transition from AI research to real-world impact and implementation. The programme has been designed to go beyond abstract debate, aiming to generate actionable recommendations on issues such as ethical AI, data governance, infrastructure, skills and equitable access.