Ahead of the AI-India Impact Summit 2026, IT executives said that "India is important to AI."

Industry Leaders Hail India’s AI Policy Ecosystem Ahead of Global AI Impact Summit

Ahead of next week’s Global AI Impact Summit in the national capital, industry leaders have praised India’s evolving AI policy framework, describing the country as central to the future of artificial intelligence.

In a video shared by the Indian Embassy in the US, Vishal Sikka, Founder and CEO of Vianai Systems, expressed strong optimism about the summit.

“I’m really excited about India AI Impact Summit happening in Delhi next week. There is so much development in AI every day… It is so important to India and India is so important to AI that this is really going to be, I think, the best AI conference that has ever happened in the last several years,” Sikka said.

He highlighted the broad scope of discussions expected at the summit — from AI’s impact across industries and infrastructure development to deeper societal questions around safety, ethics, talent and energy usage.

“Imagine having swarms of billions of AI agents… ensuring the safety, security and ethics of these systems. There are so many fundamental societal issues to be discussed,” he added.

Global Participation and Focus on Trust

Rorry Daniels, Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, said her organisation would partner with the United Nations to host a session on trust and safety in AI ecosystems.

“We’re particularly excited to learn how India’s emerging AI guidelines and policy ecosystems could provide a model for the rest of emerging economies in Asia,” Daniels said.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 will be the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the summit will be anchored in three guiding “sutras” — People, Planet and Progress — and structured around seven thematic “chakras.”

High-Level Attendance

Around 20 world leaders are expected to participate in the summit, scheduled from February 16 to 20 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Ministerial delegations from over 45 countries will attend, along with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and senior officials from several international organisations.

At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, multiple heads of state and government are also slated to join the deliberations.

Development-Focused AI Agenda

Designed as a five-day programme spanning policy, research, industry and public engagement, the summit aims to bring together global leaders, policymakers, technology firms and experts to deliberate on AI’s role in governance, innovation and sustainable development.

The event builds on India’s development-focused AI strategy and aligns with national initiatives such as the India AI Mission and the Digital India programme. Organisers say the summit seeks to move beyond high-level discussions and deliver tangible outcomes supporting economic growth, social development and responsible AI adoption.

Key themes include responsible AI governance, innovation ecosystems, digital public infrastructure, climate-conscious technologies and equitable access to emerging tools.

Positioned as a pivotal global platform, the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 aims to shape an inclusive and future-oriented AI agenda — one that balances rapid technological advancement with trust, safety and sustainability.