AI Summit India 2026 Highlights: PM Modi interacts with tech leaders, companies at India AI Impact Expo 2026

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has arrived in Amravati and is all set to attend the AI Impact Summit 2026.

Andhra Pradesh government minister Lokesh Nara confirmed Gates' arrival in the country in a post on X. He said,"Welcome to #Amaravati, Mr. Bill Gates. It was a pleasure to receive the Chair of the Gates Foundation at Gannavaram Airport today, along with my colleagues Home Minister Smt. Anitha Garu, Agriculture Minister Sri Atchannaidu Garu & Health Minister Sri Satya Kumar Garu. We have now proceeded to the Secretariat for discussions on strengthening partnerships in health, agriculture, education, and technology-driven governance. #AndhraPradesh looks forward to working closely with the Gates Foundation to create scalable, impactful solutions for our people."

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), PM Modi wrote, “Bringing the world together to discuss AI! Starting today, India hosts the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. I warmly welcome world leaders, captains of industry, innovators, policymakers, researchers and tech enthusiasts from across the world for this Summit. The theme of the Summit is Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya or welfare for all, happiness for all, reflecting our shared commitment to harnessing Artificial Intelligence for human-centric progress.”

The first session at the AI Impact Summit is all set to begin soon with the mega event kicking off from 9:30AM. You can watch the live-stream of the event from the official YouTube channel or catch the live coverage right here at Mint.

• 09:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Opening Sessions

📍 Venue: Sushma Swaraj Bhawan (Flagship Events)

09:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Her First Algorithm, India's Next Breakthrough

Focus: Student-led AI innovations in agriculture, livelihood, and healthcare.

Location: Chanakya Auditorium

📍 Venue: Bharat Mandapam (Thematic Tracks)

Multilingual AI in Universities

Topic: Advancing inclusion through UA and stakeholder insights.

Location: West Wing Room No. 6

From Vision to Action: Scaling Equitable AI Advisory Systems

Topic: Scaling AI for small-scale producers in agriculture (AGX AI).

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 8

Embedding Trust in Innovation

Topic: AI governance, quality infrastructure, and global acceptance.

Location: West Wing Room 4 B

AI for Road Safety

Topic: Data-driven solutions for enhancing road safety in India.

Location: L2 Audi 1

Harnessing AI to Transform India's Judicial Ecosystem

Topic: Enhancing efficiency, transparency, and accessibility in courts.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 16

Leadership Talk: Harnessing AI for the Future of Learning

Topic: Reshaping global employment and redefining future skills.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 18

Inside India's Frontier Lab and Its Global South Impact

Topic: A first look at frontier AI developments and foundation models.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 6

AI and the Future of Skilling

Topic: Strengthening human capital and transforming Higher Education Institutions.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 9

The Future of Employability in the Age of AI

Topic: Short-term and long-term impacts of AI on industry and function levels.

Location: West Wing Room 4 A

Safe & Trusted AI at Scale

Topic: Frameworks for responsible AI, governance, and risk management.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 14

Culturally-Grounded AI

Topic: How social norms can inform AI systems for better local adoption.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 17

AI for Smart and Resilient Agriculture

Topic: Research to solutions for sustainable and climate-resilient farming.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 19

Reimagining Gender in Technology

Topic: Designing safer digital futures and advancing ethical AI.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 15

• 10:00 AM – 10:40 AM | Innovation Spotlights

📍 Venue: Sushma Swaraj Bhawan

10:00 AM – 10:10 AM | Startup Spotlight 1: Cognitii

Topic: Democratizing access to special needs education using technology.

Location: Chanakya Auditorium

• 10:00 AM – 10:40 AM | GTM Clinic: Answers for AI Founders

Topic: Insights for AI founders navigating go-to-market challenges.

Location: Chanakya Auditorium

• 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Deep Dive Sessions

📍 Venue: Bharat Mandapam

From AI User to Creator: The Next Leap of India's AI Innovation

Topic: Transitioning from deploying models to building indigenous AI solutions.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 6

Empowering the Human Edge

Topic: Building a future-ready workforce in the age of AI.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 18

Unlocking AI's Potential for Agricultural Innovation

Topic: DPI-enabled economic growth and agricultural systems.

Location: L2 Audi 1

AI Literacy: Building Skills, Inclusion, and Global Leadership

Topic: Addressing the AI literacy gap and the Universal AI Literacy Stack.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 14

Practical Aspects of Using AI in Daily Life

Topic: Hands-on workshop on AI for analysis, drafting, and data precautions.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 17

Sovereign AI for National Security

Topic: India's path to digital sovereignty in defense and critical infrastructure.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 9

AI for Bharat

Topic: Solving context-specific challenges and local needs with AI.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 15

Redesigning the AI Economy

Topic: Participatory and ethical data pipelines for an inclusive ecosystem.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 8

Roundtable on AI for Decarbonisation and Circularity

Topic: Building India's low-carbon infrastructure.

Location: L1 Meeting Room No. 10

The AI Impact Summit 2026 today will host a ‘Leadership Talk’ session on ‘Harnessing AI for the Future of Learning and Work’ which will explore how AI is reshaping global employment and redefining future skills.

• It will highlight the need for continuous, skills-based learning to build resilient, future-ready talent, and examines how education systems, workforce strategies, and policy frameworks must align.
• Through real-world examples, it will showcase practical, collaborative approaches to accelerating AI readiness and closing critical skills gaps.

Date and time: 16 February 2026, from 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Location: Bharat Mandapam Auditorium, L1 Meeting Room No. 18

Speakers: Dr. Matteo Zallio, University of Cambridge; Mustafa Furniturewala, Coursera; Rajiv Tandon, BITS Pilani - Digital; Sanjay Jain, Google; and Tapish Bhatt, Coursera.

The Summit will host a session on the topic ‘The Future of Employability in the Age of AI’, which will discuss the challenge of AI creating more job opportunities but also make many existing jobs redundant.

The Panel Discussion will focus on short-term and long-term impact of AI on employment, both at the industry level (e.g., manufacturing, healthcare, automobile) and function level (e.g., HR, sales, supply chain).

It will identify steps to be taken to mitigate the risks by enhancing opportunities.

Date and time: 16 February 2026, from 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Location: Bharat Mandapam Auditorium, West Wing Room 4 A

Speakers: CEA V Anantha Nageswaran; Alok Agrawal, AI4India; Sanjeev Bhikchandani, InfoEdge; Sateesh Seetharamiah, EdgeVerve; Vineet Nayar, Sampark Foundation; Smita Prakash, ANI; Prof. Anurag Mairal, Stanford University of Medicine; and Shashi Shekhar Vempati, AI4India.

The UK delegation at the event will be led by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and AI Minister Kanishka Narayan, according to a PTI report.

It added that they are keen to highlight how AI can improve everyday life in every corner of the world and make the case for AI as an engine of renewal that can help doctors diagnose faster, teachers personalise learning, councils deliver services in minutes and businesses create the next generation of good jobs.

“This summit is an important moment in determining how we can work together with our international partners to unlock the full benefits and potential of AI, while baking in robust and fair safety standards that protect us all,” said Lammy, in a pre-summit statement.

The AI Impact Summit 2026 is the fourth annual gathering addressing the problems and opportunities posed by AI. This is the first time the event is being held in the ‘Global South’, after previous international meetings in Paris, Seoul and Britain's wartime code-breaking hub Bletchley.

Touted as the biggest edition yet, the Indian government is expecting 250,000 visitors from across the sector, including 20 national leaders and 45 ministerial-level delegations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 February, called it “a matter of great pride” that the India AI Impact Summit has attracted participants from all across the globe.

“This also showcases the potential of our country's youth. This occasion is also a testament to the rapid progress our country is making in the field of science and technology and is making a significant contribution to global development,” he wrote on X in Hindi.

• The YUVAi Global Youth Challenge, which received over 2,500 applications from 38 countries, showcases the innovation and problem-solving capabilities of young AI leaders aged 13 to 21.
• The Top 20 finalists are applying AI across public health, agriculture, climate resilience, accessibility, smart mobility and digital trust.
• Their solutions include malaria detection systems, AI-powered speech assistive wearables, cervical cancer screening tools, telemedicine platforms for rural care, agricultural intelligence systems, livestock analytics, forest fire and flood early warning systems, deepfake detection tools, and assistive technologies for the visually impaired.
• “YUVAi reflects a globally emerging talent, committed to nurturing youth-led innovation aligned with societal needs and developmental priorities,” as per the statement.

• The AI by HER Global Impact Challenge received over 800 applications from more than 50 countries.
• The challenge is dedicated to advancing women-led innovation in artificial intelligence.
• The Top 30 finalists highlight women entrepreneurs driving impactful AI solutions across healthcare, sustainability, financial inclusion, workforce development, education, agriculture and digital commerce.
• Their innovations include AI-enabled cancer and retinal screening tools, multilingual clinical decision support systems, voice-to-EMR platforms, precision nutrition solutions, credit intelligence systems, ESG automation platforms, and multilingual localization technologies that expand access at scale.

The AI for ALL Global Impact Challenge received over 1,350 applications from more than 60 countries, focusing on scalable AI solutions across healthcare, agriculture, climate resilience, governance, education, and financial inclusion.

The Top 20 finalists reflect high-impact, real-world applications ranging from AI-driven infection screening, soil intelligence, and climate risk analytics to digital health diagnostics, cybersecurity, industrial efficiency, accessible education technologies and AI-enabled governance systems.

“Together, these innovations demonstrate how AI can drive equitable growth and strengthen public service delivery across the Global South,” the release stated.

Thirteen country pavilions will highlight international collaboration in the AI ecosystem, including participation from Australia, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan and African nations.

At the invitation of PM Modi, many global leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Lula da Silva, are scheduled to attend the AI Impact Summit.

The Expo will be held across 10 arenas covering more than 70,000 square metres and will host global technology companies, startups, academia, research institutions, Union Ministries, State Governments, and international partners

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a traffic advisory ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

In the advisory posted on X, the Ministry urged delegates attending the summit at Bharat Mandapam and Sushma Swaraj Bhawan to use public transport due to limited parking availability and revised gate access arrangements.

Today's speakers:

1: Multilingual AI in Universities - Advancing Inclusion Through UA and Stakeholder Insights

Speaker: Sameer Gahlot, National Internet Exchange of India

2. From Vision to Action: Scaling Equitable AI Advisory Systems Through AGX AI

Speakers: David Bergvinson, DevGlobal

Michael Minkoff, Athena Infonomics

Julianna Drinan, Gates Foundation

Sophie Barrowman, DevGlobal

3. Embedding Trust in Innovation: AI Governance and Quality Infrastructure for Growth

Speakers: Amanda Craig, Microsoft

Ashutosh Bahuguna, CERT-In

Chakravathy T Kannan, Quality Council of India

Jagdheesh Manian, Bureau Veritas

Richard Skalt, AIQI Consortium

4. AI for Road Safety: Data-Driven Solutions for Enhancing Road Safety in India

Speakers: Atul Singh, Centre of Excellence for Road Safety, IIT Madras

Col Sanjiv Kumar Sharma, Centre of Excellence for Road Safety, IIT Madras

Dr Pushkar Patwardhan, LightMetrics Technologies pvt Ltd

Prof. Venkatesh Balasubramanian, Centre of Excellence for Road Safety, IIT Madras

Dheepan Raja Jayabalan, Volvo Group

Pankaj Aggarwal, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

Pankaj Mehra, Centre of Excellence for Road Safety, IIT Madras

Ramendra Pratap Shukla, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

Vivek Panchal, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

5. Harnessing AI to Transform India's Judicial Ecosystem

Speakers: Arya Tripathy, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Dr. Aparajita Bhatt, National Law University Delhi

Hon'ble Mr Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, Chairman law retired

Vikas Mahendra, TERES

Prof(Dr) G S Bajpai, NLU Delhi

Rajnish Kumar, NeGD

Shardul Shroff, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas