India AI Impact Summit 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday emphasized the need to democratize artificial intelligence while calling for a transparent approach to data sharing.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of The India AI Impact Summit 2026 at the Bharat Mandapam in the national capital, PM Modi also unveiled India’s MANAV vision for AI, which he said will serve as a vital link in advancing the well-being of humanity.
Read also | AI Summit 2026 LIVE: PM Modi speaks and announces MANAV Vision for AI
For AI, PM Modi said, people are just data points. To ensure that humans are not reduced to mere raw material, artificial intelligence must be democratized, he stressed.
“It must be made a medium for inclusion and empowerment, especially in the Global South. We must give AI the open skies and also have the command in our hands like GPS. GPS shows us the way, but the ultimate challenge is which direction we should go. The direction we take AI today will determine our future…”
MANAV’s vision for AI
The India AI Impact Summit 2026, the first global AI summit to be held in the Global South, is being held in Delhi from February 16 to 20. The summit attracted government policymakers, AI experts, academics, technology innovators and civil society representatives from around the world to advance global discussions on AI.
Read also | AI Impact Summit 2026 LIVE: Dario Amodei, Sam Altman to speak soon
“Today at the New Delhi AI Impact Summit, I am presenting the MANAV Vision for AI. MANAV stands for human and MANAV Vision says M-moral and ethical systems: AI should be based on ethical leadership. A-accountable governance means transparent rules, strong oversight; N-national sovereignty means A-intermediation whose data should be accessible, should not have a right to AI.” monopoly V – valid and legitimate means that AI should be legal and verifiable. This vision of MANAV India will become an important link for the well-being of humanity in the 21st century world based on artificial intelligence.
Modi also highlighted security issues related to children. “We need to be more careful about children’s safety. The AI space should also be child-safe and family-driven,” he said.
About 20 heads of state from around the world attended the event, along with policy makers, industry leaders, researchers and startup founders. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates chose not to address the rally, possibly due to controversy following his alleged association with convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron said that India has built something that no other country in the world has built.
The start of a huge acceleration: Macron
“A digital identity for 1.4 billion people. A payment system that now processes 20 billion transactions every month. A health infrastructure that has issued 500 million digital health IDs. Here are the results. They call it the India Stack Open Interoperable Sovereign. That’s what this summit is about. We are clearly at the beginning of a huge acceleration and you described it perfectly in your interventions,” he said.
Today, the summit will feature a star-studded line-up of global technology and industry leaders, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Mukesh Ambani of Reliance.
UN Secretary General António Guterres, he also addressed the gathering on the occasion. Guterres thanked Prime Minister Modi and congratulated the Indian leadership for organizing the first AI Summit in the Global South. The meeting in India has a special significance.
“The future of artificial intelligence cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires,” he said.
Even AI can deepen inequality: Guterres
The message of this summit, said the UN Secretary-General, is simple. “Real impact means technology that improves lives and protects the planet. So let’s create AI for everyone with dignity by default,” he said.
Guterres said that while AI can advance the Sustainable Development Goals, accelerate medical breakthroughs, expand educational opportunities, enhance food security, strengthen climate action and disaster preparedness, and improve access to vital public services, it can also “deepen inequality, amplify bias and fuel harm.”
Read also | Fallout from the Epstein files? Bill Gates to skip AI summit keynote today
The future of artificial intelligence cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires.
“Because the future of AI cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires,” he said.
on Wednesday Prime Minister Narendra Modi held nine bilateral meetings with world leaders and CEOs on the sidelines of the summit. Modi held seven meetings with leaders of countries including Spain, Finland, Serbia, Croatia, Estonia, Kazakhstan and Bhutan on the sidelines of the summit. He also held two meetings with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla.
Key things
- The democratization of AI is essential for inclusivity and empowerment, especially in the Global South.
- MANAV’s vision outlines a moral, responsible and inclusive framework for AI governance.
- Artificial intelligence must prioritize safety and ethical aspects, especially when it comes to protecting children.