NEW DELHI, Feb 16, 2026 — Senior executives from the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies are converging in India’s capital this week for a major global summit, as the country positions itself as a rising force in the fast-expanding AI industry.
The India AI Impact Summit brings together top technology CEOs, policymakers, and global leaders at a pivotal moment for the sector. India is actively seeking to attract greater foreign investment and shape global conversations around AI governance — marking the first time the high-profile event is being hosted in a developing nation.
Among the keynote speakers are Sundar Pichai of Alphabet, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind, and Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the summit’s theme as focused on “human-centric progress,” emphasizing inclusive development and shared prosperity through AI. French President Emmanuel Macron is also expected to appear alongside Modi during the event.
India’s AI Ambition
India has rapidly emerged as a key AI adoption market. Major U.S. tech companies — including Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon — have pledged a combined $68 billion in AI and cloud infrastructure investment in the country through 2030.
While India has yet to produce a globally dominant frontier AI model to rival U.S. or Chinese systems, policymakers are increasingly promoting an “application-led innovation” strategy. Rather than competing in the costly race to build foundational mega-models, India is betting on large-scale deployment across industries such as healthcare, agriculture, education, and finance.
The strategy reflects domestic momentum. By late 2025, India had become the largest user market for ChatGPT, with more than 72 million daily users — underscoring the country’s appetite for AI-powered services.
Economic Impact and Industry Tensions
The rapid rise of AI is also raising concerns within India’s $283 billion IT services sector. Analysts warn that automation could significantly impact call centers and outsourcing operations, with some projections suggesting revenue pressure by the end of the decade.
Previous AI summits held in the United Kingdom, South Korea, and France focused heavily on safety pledges and voluntary governance frameworks. Observers will be watching closely to see whether New Delhi’s summit produces more concrete outcomes.
More than 250,000 visitors are expected at the event, hosted at the Bharat Mandapam convention center. The influx has driven hotel prices sharply higher, with luxury accommodations reportedly listing at several times their usual rates. Authorities have also implemented special measures to manage traffic congestion during the summit week.
