India hosts global AI summit as tech leaders gather in Delhi amid investment push
By Cygnus | 16 Feb 2026
Summary
- India hosts a major global AI summit bringing together technology executives and policymakers
- Event underscores New Delhi’s push to attract AI investment and shape governance debates
- Surge in delegates drives hotel demand and traffic advisories across the capital
Top executives from leading artificial intelligence companies and senior policymakers are gathering in New Delhi this week for a landmark global summit, highlighting India’s ambition to position itself as a central player in the next phase of AI development.
Leaders from firms including OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and DeepMind are joining government officials and international delegations at the India AI Impact Summit, one of the largest global AI forums to be hosted in the Global South. The event is being held at Bharat Mandapam from Feb. 16–20.
The gathering comes as India seeks to attract greater investment into AI infrastructure and applications, with global technology companies collectively outlining tens of billions of dollars in planned cloud and AI capacity expansion in the country over the coming years.
India pushes “AI for all” narrative
Prime Minister Narendra Modi framed the summit around inclusive growth, emphasizing the role of artificial intelligence in improving public services, boosting productivity, and expanding economic opportunity.
High-profile attendees are expected to include Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, and DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, alongside visiting dignitaries such as French President Emmanuel Macron.
Officials are positioning the summit as a platform to amplify the perspectives of emerging economies in global debates over AI governance — an area that has largely been shaped by the United States, Europe, and China.
India bets on deployment over frontier models
While India has yet to produce a globally dominant frontier AI model, policymakers are increasingly emphasizing large-scale deployment and real-world applications as the country’s competitive advantage.
Recent government assessments have urged a focus on “application-led innovation,” arguing that India can lead by integrating AI across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education, and public administration rather than competing directly in the capital-intensive race to build foundational models.
Strong domestic adoption supports that strategy. By late 2025, India had become one of ChatGPT’s largest user markets globally, reflecting broad consumer and enterprise uptake of generative AI tools.
However, the rapid shift toward automation is also raising concerns about potential disruption to India’s roughly $283 billion IT services industry, particularly in customer support, back-office processing, and routine coding tasks.
Massive turnout and ripple effects across Delhi
Organisers expect more than 250,000 participants and hundreds of exhibitors, making the summit one of the largest AI-focused gatherings to date.
The influx of delegates has created visible spillover effects across the capital. Luxury hotel rates have risen sharply, according to industry executives, while authorities have issued traffic advisories and encouraged remote work and virtual participation for some institutions during the event.
Why this matters
The summit reflects a broader shift in the global AI conversation toward emerging markets and real-world deployment. India’s emphasis on scaling adoption — rather than focusing solely on frontier model development — could influence how artificial intelligence spreads across developing economies, shaping standards, regulation, and investment flows.
FAQs
Q1: What is the India AI Impact Summit?
The India AI Impact Summit is a global conference that brings together technology companies, governments, researchers, and investors to discuss artificial intelligence policy, innovation, and real-world deployment.
Q2: When and where is the summit taking place?
The event is being held from Feb. 16–20, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Q3: Why is the summit significant?
It is one of the first large-scale global AI gatherings hosted in the Global South, highlighting the growing role of emerging economies in shaping AI governance and adoption.
Q4: Who are the key participants?
Attendees include senior executives from major AI companies such as Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepMind, along with global policymakers and industry leaders.
Q5: What is India’s AI strategy?
India is focusing on large-scale adoption and sector-specific applications of AI, prioritising deployment and economic impact rather than competing directly in building frontier AI models.
Q6: How is the summit affecting Delhi?
The large number of delegates has increased hotel demand, prompted traffic advisories, and led some institutions to adopt remote participation during the event period.
Q7: Does AI pose risks to India’s IT sector?
Yes. While AI is expected to boost productivity, automation could disrupt certain segments of the IT services industry, particularly routine and repetitive roles.
