Global Leaders, Tech CEOs Unite at India AI Impact Summit 2026 Opening

The India AI Impact Summit 2026 opened with a landmark gathering of global political leaders and technology pioneers at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, positioning India at the centre of the international conversation on the future of Artificial Intelligence.

Inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the high-level opening ceremony set the tone for the Summit's focus on responsible innovation, scientific advancement and multilateral cooperation in shaping AI as a force for inclusive global progress.

With participation from world leaders, Big Tech CEOs and multilateral institutions, the inaugural session underscored the Summit's emergence as a defining platform for AI governance, sovereignty and shared prosperity.

India's AI Strategy: Democratisation, Scale and Sovereignty

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw outlined India's vision for AI as rooted in democratisation, scale and national sovereignty.

He presented India's comprehensive approach across the five layers of the AI stack:

• Applications

• Models

• Compute

• Talent

• Energy

The Minister highlighted India's focus on deploying AI solutions for real-world impact across healthcare, agriculture, education and public services, reinforcing the country's ambition to ensure AI benefits every citizen.

Tata Sons Chairman: AI is the "Infrastructure of Intelligence"

N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, described AI as the next foundational infrastructure, comparable in impact to steam engines, electricity and the internet.

Calling AI "the infrastructure of intelligence," he emphasised India's opportunity to build full-stack strategic capabilities spanning chips, systems, energy and applications.

"Our mission should be to make AI work for every individual and every citizen… We are standing at a defining moment, the age of abundant intelligence, where the scarce resources are trust, stewardship and human capability," he said.

Anthropic CEO Warns of Rapid Acceleration Toward Superhuman Systems

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, reflected on the extraordinary pace of AI advancement since the first global AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in 2023.

He argued that AI development is moving exponentially toward systems that could surpass human cognitive capabilities across most domains.

"We are increasingly close to what I've called a 'country of geniuses in the data centre'… This brings extraordinary opportunities, but also serious risks. Because this is happening so fast, we must work together to manage disruption and ensure prosperity is shared responsibly," Amodei said.

Google CEO: AI Must Not Deepen Global Inequality

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, called AI "the biggest platform shift of a lifetime," highlighting its potential to accelerate scientific discovery and help emerging economies leapfrog legacy gaps.

But he cautioned that inclusive development is not automatic.

"We cannot allow the digital divide to become an AI divide," Pichai said, urging bold but responsible action to ensure AI is helpful for everyone.

UN Secretary-General Calls for Global Guardrails and AI Fund

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed India's leadership in hosting the first major AI Summit in the Global South.

He stressed that AI's future must not be shaped by a small group of countries or private interests.

"The future of AI cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires," he said.

Guterres highlighted two key UN initiatives:

• An independent international scientific panel on AI with 40 global experts

• A Global Dialogue on AI Governance to ensure inclusive participation

He also called for a Global Fund on AI to build capacity in developing countries, urging guardrails that preserve human agency and accountability.

President Macron: India and Europe Must Shape Sovereign AI Together

French President Emmanuel Macron emphasised the strategic importance of sovereign and collaborative AI development amid intensifying technological competition.

Drawing parallels with India's digital public infrastructure revolution, he described AI as a geopolitical and economic domain shaping the global balance of power.

"No country is bound to serve only as a market where foreign companies sell models and download citizens' data," Macron said.

He affirmed India-France cooperation in building innovation grounded in responsibility, humanity and strategic autonomy.

A Defining Global Platform for AI's Future

The opening ceremony demonstrated the Summit's stature as a historic convening of leaders shaping the trajectory of AI in an increasingly interconnected world.

With themes of inclusion, sovereignty, trust, governance and shared prosperity at the forefront, the India AI Impact Summit 2026 has positioned itself as a pivotal forum for ensuring that AI evolves not only as a technological breakthrough, but as a human-centred global common good.