As India hosts the AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi, the event has sparked a parallel online conversation — not about AI breakthroughs, but about overcrowding, access issues, internet connectivity and what several attendees described as a chaotic experience on the ground.
VX users attending the summit shared posts noting long queues, restricted movement inside the venue and what they saw as a mismatch between the ambition of the event and its execution. Some attendees went so far as to question whether the summit reflected the future of AI at all, arguing that there was little visible use of AI in the public environment beyond branding and posters.
One user wrote: “Broooooo it’s too crowded here at AI SUMMIT Delhi like you can’t even move properly and apart from the AI posters there is nothing about AI and the future 😭 just another well promoted event.”
Another widely shared post claimed that exhibitors, startup founders and delegates were left waiting outside for hours. “No water. No cleanliness. Media shows celebration. Ground reality was chaos,” wrote a user asking why access restrictions were not communicated in advance.
Criticisms also related to basic connectivity. One attendee pointed out the irony of patchy mobile internet at a tech event, writing: “Mobile internet barely works at India AI Impact Summit. Irony, IRONY, eeeeeeee. (Who knows who will see this tweet and when).” The post added to wider criticism that the summit’s ground infrastructure does not reflect the digital future it wants to support.
Several others echoed similar concerns, noting the lack of digital infrastructure at the tech-focused event – from the absence of AI-enabled badge printing and stop navigation to long queues for basic entrances. “It feels like a basic exhibition and the organizers forgot to introduce real artificial intelligence into the public experience,” wrote one attendee.
There were also sarcastic shots. One user questioned why the AI summit wasn’t hosted virtually, calling it a missed opportunity to showcase real-world applications of the technology. Another quipped that India needs “an AQI summit more than an AI summit”, drawing attention to environmental issues outside the venue.
Amid the criticism, several participants offered a more measured view. One user, who claimed to have walked nearly 7km through the expo, said the experience suggested India had “taken AI with gusto”, highlighting booths by Qualcomm, the Indian Navy, Jio Intelligence and the World Food Programme.
According to official details, AI Impact Summit 2026 features more than 500 events in addition to its main program and functions as a large-scale trade show with more than 840 exhibitors, including research labs, AI startups and global technology firms. The summit is built around the themes of People, Planet and Progress with a declared focus on supporting international cooperation for a sustainable artificial intelligence ecosystem.
Key sessions include a Leaders Plenary on Global Partnerships, a dedicated GPAI Council Session and a Research Symposium. Organizers said the goal is to ensure that the benefits of artificial intelligence reach developing countries without compromising regulatory and governance standards.
One of the highlights of the summit is the planned inauguration of the AI Expo by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 5:00 PM.