Google CEO Sundar Pichai landed in India on Wednesday to attend the Global AI Impact Summit 2026. He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
“Delighted to be back in India for the AI Impact Summit – a very warm welcome as always and the papers looked great too,” Pichai said on X.
He is expected to deliver a keynote address at the summit on Friday.
About AI Impact Summit 2026
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is currently underway at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, which started on February 16 and is scheduled to end on February 20, 2026. The event convened government policymakers, AI industry leaders, academics, technology innovators and civil society representatives from around the world to foster a global dialogue from around the world.
As the first global AI summit to be held in the Global South, the India AI Impact Summit seeks to explore the transformative power of AI in line with India’s guiding vision of “Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya” (Welfare for All, Happiness for All) while promoting the broader international principle of AI for Humanity.
In an interview with ANI, PM Modi discussed the expanding impact of AI on the IT sector and outlined the government’s approach to empowering and future-proofing the sector.
He said India’s IT industry has long served as the backbone of the country’s service exports and a major engine of economic expansion. According to him, artificial intelligence offers both significant opportunities and significant challenges for the sector. Citing market projections, he said India’s IT industry could grow to $400 billion by 2030, fueled by emerging waves of AI-driven outsourcing and specialized cross-domain automation.
It was also mentioned that more than 110 countries and 30 international organizations are expected to attend the summit, with around 20 heads of state or government and nearly 45 ministers represented.
The AI Summit has been described as part of a broader and evolving global effort to strengthen international cooperation on the governance, security and broader societal impacts of AI.
In addition, the India AI Impact Summit 2026 is said to be anchored in three accompanying “sutras”, people, planet and progress, which serve as its core pillars. These principles emphasize the promotion of human-centered AI that protects rights and ensures fair distribution of benefits, promotes environmentally sustainable AI development, and promotes inclusive economic and technological growth.
Meanwhile, according to a PTI report, delegates will have limited access to the India AI Impact Summit on Wednesday and Thursday in view of VIP movement and PM Modi’s visit to the venue, according to government officials. Delegates attending the conference at the Bharat Mandapam will have to leave the convention area by 4:30 pm as PM Modi is set to host a dinner for state guests, including business leaders, after 6 pm, Meita officials said.