Explained: How India’s AI Impact Summit 2026 Puts The Global South At The Centre

India is set to host the first AI summit in the Global South, as the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 takes place from 16 to 20 February, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

The five-day programme is set to bring together global leaders, policymakers, technology companies, innovators, and experts to showcase AI's transformative potential across governance, innovation, and sustainable development.

The Three Sutras Framework

The summit is anchored on three foundational pillars called 'Sutras'(meaning guiding principles) that define how AI can be harnessed through multilateral cooperation: People, Planet, and Progress.

These principles guide India's vision of using AI as a key enabler for inclusive growth and the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Seven Chakras of Collaboration

Building on the three Sutras, the summit's deliberations are structured around seven Chakras:

Human Capital builds an equitable AI reskilling ecosystem, strengthening workforce readiness for the AI economy.

Inclusion for Social Empowerment enables inclusive participation through shared AI solutions, supporting citizen-centric services.

Safe and Trusted AI translates responsible AI principles into practical governance frameworks, strengthening domestic AI governance.

Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency addresses environmental challenges posed by large-scale AI systems, ensuring sustainable growth.

Science harnesses AI to accelerate discovery while correcting inequities in access to data and research capacity.

Democratizing AI Resources ensures equitable access to foundational AI development enablers for startups, researchers, and institutions.

AI for Economic Growth & Social Good explores approaches for inclusive growth through high-impact AI use cases.

AI's Current Impact in India

AI is already transforming multiple sectors in India.

In healthcare, AI-enabled remote diagnostics and telemedicine improve access in rural areas, while AI-based medical image analysis enables faster diagnosis of diseases like TB and cancer.

In agriculture, AI predicts weather patterns and irrigation needs, with tools like Mausam GPT providing real-time information in regional languages.

Education benefits from AI-driven platforms that adapt content to individual student needs, while AI translation removes linguistic barriers.

In finance, AI systems detect fraud and expand loan access for underserved populations. In governance, AI-assisted translation of court judgments improves access to justice and streamlines service delivery.

Key Events and Exhibitions

The India AI Impact Expo 2026, spread across over 70,000 square metres, is expected to feature over 300 exhibitors from 30 countries across more than 10 thematic pavilions.

The expo to demonstrate AI's transition from research to large-scale deployment.

Three flagship challenges are being organised—AI for ALL: Global Impact Challenge, which will offer awards of up to Rs 2.50 crore for widely deployable AI solutions; AI by HER: Global Impact Challenge, aimed at promoting women-led innovation with similar awards; and YUVAi: Global Youth Challenge for innovators aged 13–21, with prizes worth up to Rs 85 lakh.

The Research Symposium on AI and its Impact will be held on 18 February, 2026, bringing together researchers from the Global South and the international community.

The AI Compendium, a key knowledge output documenting real-world AI applications across priority sectors, will be released on 17 February, 2026.

Institutional Framework

The summit is supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which provides overall policy direction.

The IndiaAI Mission shapes core themes, including AI compute infrastructure, datasets, indigenous AI models, and startup support.

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) supports innovation and participation of startups and MSMEs, while the Digital India Initiative provides the foundational framework for large-scale AI adoption.

Regional Preparation

Eight Regional AI Conferences were held between October 2025 and January 2026 across Meghalaya, Gujarat, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Telangana to identify region-specific AI use cases, policy inputs, and capacity gaps.

The summit has received a strong global response with over 700 proposals submitted.

It aims to deliver outcome-driven results, including strengthened governance frameworks, expanded AI awareness, skill development support, and sustained partnerships among government, academia, startups, and industry to enable the responsible and inclusive growth of India's AI ecosystem.

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