September 14, 2025 – By Vikas Kanungo
India has announced the convening of the AI Impact Summit on 19–20 February 2026 in New Delhi, a gathering that promises to reshape the global conversation on artificial intelligence. Unlike earlier forums that often remained confined to broad declarations of intent, this summit will be anchored in action and outcomes. Its focus is clear: moving from discussions on regulation and safety to measurable impact in the lives of people, particularly across the Global South.
The choice of India as host is no coincidence. With its scale, diversity, and the ambition of the IndiaAI Mission, the country is positioning itself as a bridge between cutting-edge innovation and inclusive deployment. The Summit will be framed around the guiding themes of People, Planet, and Progress, and will examine how AI can drive human capital development, foster inclusion, strengthen resilience, democratize access to resources, and deliver tangible benefits in sectors like health, agriculture, education, and climate action.
In the run-up to the Summit, a series of pre-summit events and consultations will take place between 11 August 2025 and 31 January 2026, across India and internationally. These dialogues are not just warm-ups — they are intended to shape the very fabric of the Summit, ensuring that diverse voices from governments, academia, startups, civil society, and global institutions are embedded into the final agenda. The energy around these gatherings is already signalling that this will be more than a conference; it will be a platform where ideas translate into commitments and partnerships that endure.
For governments and development agencies, the Summit offers an unparalleled opportunity to influence the design of AI policies that are practical and globally resonant. For industry leaders and innovators, it provides visibility and access to new collaborations that can scale promising solutions to national and international levels. And for researchers and entrepreneurs, it opens the doors to infrastructure, partnerships, and resources that can transform prototypes into impact-driven deployments.
By convening leaders at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the AI Impact Summit is setting the stage for a new kind of global dialogue — one that refuses to stop at rhetoric and instead measures success by the lives improved, the inequities reduced, and the progress accelerated. For those who believe in shaping the responsible future of AI, this is not a summit to observe from afar; it is one to participate in, shape, and carry forward into action.
For more details and participation opportunities, visit the official summit platform here: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in
