The third day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 ended not with applause, but with hundreds of professionals walking through closed roads in New Delhi — a scene captured in a video that has since gone viral and raised new questions about last-mile planning at global events.
A video posted by influencer Caleb Friesen, a Canadian national who has lived in India for eight years, went viral after he documented the chaotic exit faced by delegates at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. A video shared on X shows confused attendees who were told to walk after finding no taxis, cars, buses or shuttles to the event late at night.
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“A Great Day – Until It’s Over”
Friesen, who praised the agenda and organization of the summit during the day, said the problems started around 7:40 p.m. when participants started leaving the venue.
“I had such a great day at the India AI Impact Summit,” he wrote. “But the way it ended was a huge disappointment. No taxis, no pre-arranged shuttle. ‘The road is closed, go for a walk.’
In the video, Friesen interviews other attendees as they walk along a busy stretch of road near the venue. One man explains that the roads were closed due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s movement and joked that the unexpected walk was “another networking opportunity” the summit provided.
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Another participant points out that check-in services like Uber, Ola and Rapido have been unavailable due to the closures. “Then people ask why talent is leaving India,” he says, noting that many of those affected were white-collar professionals who paid high taxes.
A Salesforce participant from Bengaluru describes the situation as “hectic” and says it was not something the participants expected.
“No Plan, No Help”
In a subsequent explanation, Friesen clarified that his criticism was limited to the exit arrangement. He praised improvements inside the venue, including better signage and access to drinking water.
However, he said delegates waited for taxis for several minutes before drivers canceled their journeys due to roadblocks. Since there were no cars, buses or shuttles provided at the summit, participants were simply told to walk in a general direction.
“Some people had already been walking for 15 minutes before we started,” Friesen said, adding that others had been walking for more than 30 minutes. He also drew attention to the impact on international visitors and people with disabilities.
“It felt like people’s time, energy and schedules were treated as the least important thing,” he said.
What the authorities said
Ahead of the summit, India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a traffic advisory urging delegates to use public transport, particularly the Delhi Metro, citing limited parking and security restrictions.
The advisory noted that access points at the Bharat Mandapam will be regulated, with some gates restricted after 2:00 p.m., and shuttles will only operate between designated parking spaces and the venue during certain hours.
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Since its publication, the video has garnered over 313,000 views and numerous comments.
One user defended the authorities: “Why so many complaints? At the Supreme Court today I walked 1km in the morning due to traffic to get to the gate and 3km in the evening to get to traffic. I spent the whole day on my feet. Sometimes we just have to adapt without making a fuss. We shouldn’t be acting right.”
Another user wrote: “All these sticks…. You know when you come back from New Years fire boxes in London everything is closed…. You have to walk for an hour to get to the only open tube station to get back home… no taxis nothing… this happens during any football match in Italy or any IPL in India.”
“Your points are valid, it wouldn’t be perfect the first time. There is room for improvement, I’m sure the people organizing the event and their partners would do a better job next time. Please give feedback rather than criticism,” wrote a third user.
A fourth wrote: “This is a bloody mess. No proper transport arrangements for people attending the AI summit. The guy says we complain when people leave India, but if this is what the tax payers are getting, how can we expect talent to stay here?”