PM Narendra Modi speaks on AI and global role at News18 Rising Bharat Summit

New Delhi: The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026 brought together political leaders, policymakers, industry executives and global experts in New Delhi for discussions on India’s economic outlook, technological development and geopolitical role.

Held under the theme “Strength Within”, the two-day summit featured sessions on artificial intelligence, trade, infrastructure, defence and global economic trends.

Addressing the gathering, Narendra Modi said India is focusing on strengthening manufacturing, improving product quality and maintaining stable economic policies. He said the country’s development had been shaped over time through collective effort and resilience.

On artificial intelligence, the Prime Minister said India intends to play a more active role in shaping technological developments compared with earlier industrial revolutions.

“In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers. But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them. Today, we have our own AI startup ecosystem and are working rapidly on the power requirements for AI data processing.”

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal spoke about India’s export potential and ongoing trade discussions with the United States.

“For us, the US is an important trading partner, a strategic and technological partnership… The US is an evolving situation. We are in dialogue with the administration in the US. We will have to wait and watch and ensure interests of India are protected. I want to assure that India stays committed to engaging for the best possible opportunities which were negotiated with the US for a deal that gives us a competitive advantage,” Goyal said.

Former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo described India’s development trajectory as strategically significant in Asia and said the country had strengthened its global standing through key economic and political decisions.

“India went through a very critical test when America put pressure, India did not buckle and because India did not buckle its standing in the world gone up,” he said.

Union minister for railways, information and broadcasting, and electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the role of technology and infrastructure in India’s growth, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence.

“The trust factor in deploying AI is important,” he said.

Referring to concerns about automation and employment, Vaishnaw pointed to the adaptability of the country’s information technology sector.

“The biggest strength of our IT sector is to be able to go to an enterprise, understand how it works and, based on that, provide a solution. It was demonstrated during the Y2K problem,” he noted.

Union communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia discussed India’s plans to advance research and development in next-generation telecommunications.

“It’s for the first time as we have adopted 6G that the Prime Minister set the vision in 2023. And he set the goal that the Bharat 6G Alliance… the whole value chain… is R&Ding 6G today.”

International participants also discussed India’s role in global geopolitics. Former UK chief of defence staff Nick Carter said India’s economic and political influence is increasing.

“It's entirely right that India has enough political clout, leverage and economic value to be able to be plough its own furrow... This year, we will probably find India becoming the fourth-largest economy in the world...India should have a seat at the great powers' table, be it the Board of Peace or the UN Security Council.”

The summit also featured discussions with international policymakers, diplomats and analysts on defence, sustainability, technology governance and economic cooperation.