UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who will attend the AI Impact Summit in India from February 16 to 20, described India as a “very successful” emerging economy with greater influence on global affairs.
In an exclusive interview with PTI at the UN headquarters ahead of the India-AI Impact Summit 2026, Guterres said India is the “right place” to host the AI Summit.
“My hearty congratulations to India”
Guterres stressed that artificial intelligence should benefit the whole world and not just be a privilege reserved for developed nations or two superpowers.
“I highly congratulate India for hosting this summit. It is imperative that AI is developed for the benefit of all and everywhere and that countries in the Global South be part of the benefits of AI,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
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In an apparent reference to the US and China, Guterres argued that “it would be completely unacceptable for artificial intelligence to be the prerogative of the most developed countries or to be shared only between the two superpowers”.
“It is imperative that artificial intelligence becomes a universal tool for the benefit of humanity,” Guterres said.
“India, a highly successful emerging economy”
Guterres told PTI: “The role of India (which today is a very successful emerging economy, playing an increasing role not only in the global economy but in its influence on global affairs, India is the right place to host this summit and to ensure that AI (is) discussed in depth, all its huge potential and also all its risks, but that AI belongs to the whole world and not just a few.”
“India’s Contribution in a Multipolar World”
Emphasizing his strong advocacy for multipolarity and highlighting India’s contribution in a multipolar world, Guterres said he looked forward to a discussion with the Indian leadership during his visit to Delhi.
“There are two things we must avoid in the world. We must avoid a system in which there is total hegemony by only one power, or a system in which the world is divided between two superpowers,” he said.
Guterres added that he is a “very strong supporter” of the need for true multipolarity in the world.
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For true multipolarity, it is important that emerging economies have a “higher and higher” role and create a “stronger and stronger” network of trade, technology and international cooperation relations.
In this regard, he said the recent trade agreement between India and the European Union is a “good example”. “India is one of the most important emerging economies,” he said.
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“More and more in the world we see the creation of a network of, I would say, all developed countries, but also, and this is very important, developing economies, which create a real multipolarity without any hegemony and thus allow multilateral organizations to be effective,” he said.
‘Frustration’
Guterres emphasized the importance of multipolarity and spoke of his “frustration” at the failure of the UN Security Council to resolve conflicts and maintain international peace and security.
“When you look at the United Nations, you can imagine my frustration when I see that the Security Council is not able to make decisions, and it is clear that we need a fundamental reform of the Security Council, firstly to represent the world as it is today and not after the Second World War. And secondly, to be able to make effective decisions for peace and security around the world,” he said.
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Guterres added that for a “fair” multilateral system, both in the United Nations and in international financial institutions, developing economies must have a stronger voice and be at the center of this interconnection.
“I see India at the center of these emerging economies and that’s something I’d like to discuss with Prime Minister Modi because I’m very hopeful about the role India can play in shaping this multipolar world,” he said.
“Always fantastic going to India”
Guterres further emphasized that “it is always fantastic” to go to India, “a democracy with enormous diversity and an extraordinary civilization and culture”.
The head of the UN specified that he was reading about how India for centuries was the main factor in the transformation of the world, “starting hundreds of years before Christ and continuing for centuries, with a huge influence of Indian culture, Indian civilization that we can see in China, Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean”.
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“Already in the time of the Roman Empire, there was a very strong connection with India and a very important influence of Indian culture in today’s Mediterranean region.
“So it is always a great pleasure to visit India,” Guterres said.
This packed event will be the first ever Artificial Intelligence Summit held in the Global South and is anchored in the three guiding principles of “People, Planet and Progress”.
AI Summit
The upcoming AI Summit will bring together leaders, policy makers and innovators from around the world for in-depth discussions on the way forward for AI.
World leaders in attendance include French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, tech enthusiasts including Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.
Guterres will be joined at the summit by senior UN officials, including UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk and Under-Secretary-General and UN Under-Secretary-General for Technology Amandeep Singh Gill.
Guterres met Prime Minister Narendra Modi late last year on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg and Foreign Affairs Minister S Jaishankar when he was in New York.