India is officially positioning itself at the epicentre of the global artificial intelligence revolution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, welcoming 20+ world leaders and the biggest names in tech, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Google’s Sundar Pichai.
This five-day event is the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South, marking a historic shift as India attempts to define a “Third Way” for AI, one focused on public good and domestic sovereignty rather than purely corporate or state control.
Big Tech CEOs and the $100 Billion AI Investment Push in India
The summit is being treated as a high-stakes trade fair, with India eyeing nearly $100 billion in investment commitments.
- Global Tech Giants: The attendee list is a “who’s who” of Silicon Valley: Sam Altman (OpenAI), Sundar Pichai (Google), Dario Amodei (Anthropic), Demis Hassabis (DeepMind), and Brad Smith (Microsoft).
- Big Tech Bets: Major commitments are already surfacing, including Microsoft’s record $17.5 billion infrastructure expansion and Google’s partnership with the government to push AI in education.
- OpenAI’s India Move: Highlighting India’s importance, OpenAI has already established a dedicated local sales division and is actively engaging with Indian policymakers on AI governance.
Top Indigenous AI Models in India to Watch in 2026
| Startup | Core Focus | Competitive Edge |
| Sarvam AI | Multimodal Context | Outperforms global models in cultural awareness and Indian regional language accuracy. |
| Soket AI | Vernacular Coding | Developed the Eka stack supporting 45+ languages, challenging English-first biases in programming |
| Gnani AI | Real-Time Voice | Focuses on voice-to-voice foundation models for dialects and accents in enterprise use cases. |
| Gan AI | Scaling Media | Specialises in synthetic speech and personalised multilingual content distribution at scale. |
India’s AI Governance Framework: PM Modi’s Seven Chakras Explained
Prime Minister Modi’s vision for the summit is built around three pillars (Sutras): People, Planet, and Progress. These are broken down into Seven Chakras (Working Groups) that focus on real-world impacts:
- Human Capital & Skilling: Moving beyond job-loss fears to re-skilling millions for an AI-driven economy.
- Inclusion for Social Empowerment: Using AI to bridge the gap in healthcare and education for rural populations.
- Safe and Trusted AI: Ashwini Vaishnaw, IT Minister, confirmed India is in talks with 30+ countries to find technical and legal solutions for deepfakes and misinformation.
Why This Summit Matters for India’s Future
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is not just a tech gathering; it is a milestone in India’s journey toward becoming a developed nation (Viksit Bharat) by 2047.
- Semiconductor Push: MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan announced that India’s first commercial-scale semiconductor production is set to begin later this month, providing the hardware backbone for domestic AI.
- Democratising Compute: The government has onboarded over 38,000 GPUs to provide affordable shared compute access for Indian startups.
As the summit continues through February 20, the goal is clear: to ensure that AI becomes a multiplier for India’s talent rather than a threat to its workforce, setting a global standard for responsible and inclusive technology.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is being held in New Delhi, India’s policy and technology hub. The capital was chosen to allow direct participation from government ministries, regulators, global technology firms, and academic institutions shaping India’s national AI strategy.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is a high-level national forum focused on artificial intelligence adoption, policy, infrastructure, and talent development. The summit brings together policymakers, technology leaders, startups, and researchers to align AI innovation with India’s long-term development vision, including the Viksit Bharat 2047 roadmap. Key themes include semiconductor manufacturing, AI compute access, workforce readiness, and responsible AI governance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the summit alongside world leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazil’s President Lula da Silva. Major tech CEOs in attendance include Sundar Pichai (Google), Sam Altman (OpenAI), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), and Dario Amodei (Anthropic).