Centre extends AI Impact Summit by a day till February 21: IT secretary

Visitors arrive at Bharat Mandapam, one of the venues for AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi. REUTERS

• AI Impact Summit 2026 extended due to high public interest
• Expo open to public Feb 20-21; avoid Feb 19 due to restrictions
• Govt urges focus on work, clarifies Galgotias University matter

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The government has extended the AI Impact Summit 2026 by a day, IT secretary S Krishnan said on February 18. The summit will take place on February 21 (Saturday) as well and will be open to the public. In addition, the summit's duration has been extended by two hours.

Krishnan explained that the summit has been extended by one day due to "overwhelming response". "The idea is to provide a clear day to the public. Students and others can come," Krishnan said. Expo area is open till 8 pm and convention center will close by 4:30 pm, he added.

The IT secretary also advised the general public to avoid the summit on February 19 as Bharat Mandapam will have restricted events. The expo will remain open to public on February 20 and 21.

Galgotias University asked to vacate AI Summit following Chinese robot claim: Govt sources

The secretary also issued a clarification over the Galgotias University issue, saying the government does not want any controversy at the summit.

"We want genuine work to be exhibited. Our intention is not to encourage misinformation or plagiarism," he said.

Krishnan also pointed out that such controversies should not overshadow the "excellent" work done by others.

"What happened should not affect the way people present or exhibit their work at such events. The idea is not to use an opportunity like this to become something else or create unnecessary noise. It is essential that a proper code of conduct is followed. There are other countries and other participants involved as well. Controversies around one issue should not overshadow the tremendous effort put in by others," he said.

The secretary said several institutions and startups have created excellent exhibits and their hard work and innovation should remain the focus.