India AI Impact Summit 2026 outlines focus on access, inclusion and AI infrastructure

New Delhi: The IndiaAI Mission and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Monday briefed the media on the vision, structure and progress of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, which will centre on the theme ‘Democratising AI, Bridging the AI Divide’.

The briefing was held in New Delhi and chaired by S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, with senior officials from MeitY, IndiaAI, the National Informatics Centre, Digital India Corporation, the India Semiconductor Mission, CERT-In and the National e-Governance Division in attendance.

Addressing the media, Krishnan said the Summit would focus on widening access to artificial intelligence and preventing its concentration in a limited number of geographies or corporations.

“What we are seeking to do is ensure the democratization of AI and bridge the emerging AI divide. A key concern across the international community has been the risk of AI becoming concentrated in a limited number of geographies and controlled by a small set of companies. To address this, AI must be made widely available as a horizontal, enabling technology that supports the development of humanity as a whole. 

He added, “This means ensuring that countries across the world have access to all critical elements of AI infrastructure such as compute, models, and data. Broader access would, in turn, enable the development of AI solutions tailored to specific countries, societies, and communities. Such context-specific solutions can then be deployed across productive sectors of the economy, including healthcare, agriculture, governance, education, manufacturing, and others, ensuring that gains in productivity and efficiency are realized at a much wider scale.”

According to officials, the Summit is structured around three guiding Sutras, People, Planet and Progress, which frame discussions on how artificial intelligence can serve social development, environmental sustainability and inclusive economic growth. These principles are operationalised through seven thematic Chakras, or working groups, that will guide deliberations and outcomes.

The Human Capital Chakra focuses on skills development and workforce transitions in an AI-driven economy, while Inclusion for Social Empowerment addresses linguistic, cultural and contextual representation in AI systems. The Safe and Trusted AI Chakra examines governance frameworks for accountability and transparency. 

Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency prioritises energy-efficient and sustainable AI suited to resource-constrained settings, while the Science Chakra focuses on expanding inclusive research ecosystems, particularly in the Global South.

Additional Chakras cover democratising access to AI resources such as datasets, compute and foundational models, as well as scaling AI applications across sectors including healthcare, agriculture and education.

MeitY said the themes were shaped through months of consultations, including public engagement on the MyGov platform that received more than 600 citizen responses, stakeholder consultations with over 500 organisations, and national and international discussions held in cities including Oslo, Tokyo, New York and Paris.

As part of the lead-up to the Summit, around 300 pre-summit events have been organised, with 57 held across more than 25 countries. A series of Regional AI Impact Conferences are also underway to incorporate regional perspectives into India’s AI roadmap.

The Summit will also feature a range of global initiatives and events, including challenges such as YUVAi, AI by HER and AI for All, which have collectively received over 15,000 registrations from 135 countries. Other planned components include student-focused innovation showcases, startup pitch platforms, sectoral AI compendiums, an AI Impact Expo at Bharat Mandapam and a research symposium highlighting work from Africa, Asia and Latin America.