India Hosts Landmark AI Summit as Global Leaders Converge on Delhi

When the gates opened at Bharat Mandapam on Monday morning, the scene was less diplomatic summit and more rock concert. Thousands of delegates, startup founders, and technology enthusiasts had descended on New Delhi for what Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised would be a defining moment for artificial intelligence in the Global South. But within hours, the India AI Impact Summit 2026 had become something else entirely—a case study in the gap between ambition and execution.

“Gates are closed so could not access my own booth at the AI Summit. If you’re also stuck outside and wanted to visit the Bolna team, dm me.” — Maitreya Wagh, co-founder of voice AI startup Bolna

A $100 Billion Bet on India’s AI Future

The five-day summit, inaugurated by PM Modi himself, represents India’s most ambitious attempt yet to position itself as a bridge between advanced economies and the developing world. With over 100 countries participating, 20 national leaders, and 45 ministerial-level delegations expected, the event has drawn an unprecedented roster of technology executives including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Microsoft President Brad Smith.

The stakes extend far beyond handshakes and photo opportunities. Indian officials are reportedly targeting $100 billion in investment commitments during the event—a figure that would mark a seismic shift in how global capital flows toward AI development outside traditional Western hubs.

Digital public infrastructure has become India’s calling card on the global stage. The country’s experience building Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric identity system, and UPI, its real-time payment network processing billions of transactions monthly, offers a proven model for deploying AI at scale while keeping costs manageable. Officials argue this expertise positions India uniquely to help other developing nations navigate the AI transition.

Chaos at the Gates

But Monday’s opening delivered a reality check. Delegates reported waiting in lines for hours, navigating unclear instructions, and facing sudden venue evacuations ahead of security sweeps for high-level arrivals. Several exhibitors found themselves locked out of their own booths. Poor signage and limited seating compounded the confusion.

Punit Jain, founder of tech platform Reskill, described “7 AM queues” followed by hours of waiting and a “full evacuation” before the prime minister’s arrival. By afternoon, social media was flooded with complaints from founders and exhibitors who felt the organizational infrastructure had failed to match the technological ambitions on display.

“The goal is clear: AI should be used for shaping humanity, inclusive growth and a sustainable future.” — Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s Minister for Electronics and Information Technology

The Three Sutras and Global Governance

Despite the logistical stumbles, the summit’s substantive agenda carries real weight. Organizers have framed the event around “people, progress, planet”—dubbed the “three sutras”—with the stated aim of producing a shared roadmap for global AI governance and collaboration.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are among the world leaders expected to attend, signaling the summit’s genuinely international character. The presence of such figures underscores how AI governance has evolved from a niche technical concern to a central pillar of geopolitical strategy.

Regulatory tensions are likely to surface. Last year’s Paris AI Action Summit was dominated by then-US Vice President JD Vance’s rebuke of European regulatory efforts, warning against “excessive regulation” that could hobble AI development. This year’s Delhi gathering will test whether a more balanced consensus can emerge—one that addresses legitimate safety concerns without stifling innovation.

The Global South perspective may prove decisive. As the first major international AI summit hosted in a developing nation, Delhi represents an opportunity to recenter conversations that have historically been dominated by Western priorities. Questions of access, affordability, and equitable benefit-sharing are expected to feature prominently in discussions.

From Safety Summit to Trade Fair

The evolution of these gatherings tells its own story about how rapidly AI has moved from laboratory curiosity to commercial reality. The first such meeting in November 2023, barely a year after ChatGPT’s launch, was a tightly focused affair at a former code-breaking base north of London. Twenty-eight countries and a small cohort of executives discussed catastrophic risks and safety guardrails.

Today’s summits have become something else entirely—”all-purpose jamboree trade fairs,” as one observer put it, where safety is just one item on a crowded agenda. The shift reflects both growing commercial maturity and the uncomfortable reality that AI development has outpaced the capacity of multilateral institutions to govern it effectively.

Whether the Delhi summit can bridge this gap remains an open question. The organizational challenges of day one may prove merely teething problems, or they may foreshadow deeper difficulties in aligning diverse national interests around shared governance frameworks.

For Modi and his government, the summit represents both opportunity and risk. Get it right, and India cements its status as a genuine AI power broker. Get it wrong, and the images of frustrated delegates locked outside their own exhibition booths may prove more memorable than any diplomatic communiqué.

This article was reported by the ArtificialDaily editorial team. For more information, visit BBC News and Al Jazeera.