86 Nations Sign AI Declaration at India Summit, But Critics Call It “G

When the doors opened at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi this week, tens of thousands of attendees flooded into what was billed as the most significant global gathering on artificial intelligence in years. For five days, tech CEOs, world leaders, and policy experts debated the future of AI at the India-hosted AI Impact Summit. But when the final declaration was signed by 86 nations on Saturday, the response from critics was swift and pointed: too vague, too voluntary, and too friendly to the industry it was meant to regulate.

“The fact that this declaration drew such wide endorsement, especially from the US, which held out in Paris, tells you what kind of agenda it is: one that is AI-industry approved, not one that meaningfully protects the public.” — Amba Kak, AI Now Institute

The New Delhi Declaration

The summit declaration called for “secure, trustworthy and robust” artificial intelligence, describing generative AI as “an inflection point in the trajectory of technological evolution.” The document emphasized that “AI’s promise is best realised only when its benefits are shared by humanity.”

But the statement contained no concrete commitments to regulate the fast-developing technology. Instead, it highlighted voluntary, non-binding initiatives and industry-led measures. On jobs, the declaration emphasized reskilling initiatives to “support participants in preparation for a future AI-driven economy.” On energy, it underscored “the importance of developing energy-efficient AI systems” given the technology’s growing demands on natural resources.

The cautious approach to AI safety risks—from misinformation and surveillance to fears of devastating new pathogens—drew particular criticism. “Deepening our understanding of the potential security aspects remains important,” the declaration noted, while emphasizing “industry-led voluntary measures” and “technical solutions.”

US Reversal and Industry Influence

The American shift was perhaps the most telling development of the summit. The United States, which refused to sign last year’s summit statement in Paris warning that regulation could stifle innovation, not only endorsed the New Delhi declaration but signed a bilateral AI agreement with India the same day. The bilateral pledge promised to “pursue a global approach to AI that is unapologetically friendly to entrepreneurship and innovation.”

The corporate presence at the summit was impossible to ignore. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gathered the industry’s most prominent names: Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic’s leadership, and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang (who dropped out after early promotion). Even with high-profile withdrawals—Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates withdrew, and many attendees faced chaotic entry logistics—the summit demonstrated India’s growing influence as a tech broker.

The financial commitments were substantial. Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, pledged $110 billion for AI projects across India over the next seven years. The Tata Group announced a partnership with OpenAI to create up to 1 gigawatt in data center capacity. These figures underscore the commercial stakes driving the conversation.

“The most important thing is that there are any commitments at all.” — Stuart Russell, AI safety campaigner

India’s Global South Gambit

Modi’s summit was the first hosted by a developing country, and the prime minister used the platform to position India as the tech leader of the Global South. His message was carefully calibrated: India would chart a middle path between the corporate-led US ecosystem and state-backed Chinese development.

“We have talent, energy capacity and policy clarity,” Modi said in Hindi, translated via AI into various languages. “AI is like GPS. It can show the direction, but where we want to go must be decided by us.”

The unifying message resonated with leaders from emerging economies wary of aligning with either Washington or Beijing. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reinforced the theme: “The future of AI cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires.”

Yet the summit also exposed India’s constraints. Despite its IT services expertise and massive talent pool, the country still lags in high-end computing infrastructure necessary to build frontier large language models. While US Big Tech announced plans for $650 billion in new spending this year, India’s ambitions remain dependent on partnerships with the very companies the summit sought to influence.

The next AI summit will take place in Geneva next year. In the meantime, a UN panel on AI will start work toward “science-led governance.” Whether that governance can move beyond voluntary promises remains the open question.

This article was reported by the ArtificialDaily editorial team. For more information, visit Dawn and Taipei Times.