AI Summit 2026 Highlights: Investment tops $270bn, over five lakh attend as Vaishnaw hails AI Summit success

India’s IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said there is “huge consensus” on the AI Impact Summit declaration, delayed to Saturday to include more signatories. Over 70 countries have signed so far. The summit addressed AI governance, societal benefits, job disruption, and energy use, while promoting global collaboration and transparency.

Ashwini Vaishnaw said “Pax Silica will be very important for the semiconductor industry from the supply chain perspective”, adding India is “seen as a trusted country”. He said “Sarvam compares equally” with players such as DeepSeek and OpenAI, and noted three countries want to emulate India’s data protection framework.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the AI Impact Summit has been a “grand success”, drawing over five lakh visitors. He said investment pledges crossed $250 billion in infrastructure and $20 billion from VCs, while signatories to the New Delhi declaration surpassed 70.

US cloud security firm Zscaler and Bharti Airtel have launched the AI & Cyber Threat Research Center – India to counter rising AI-driven cyber threats. The initiative will protect critical sectors, promote Zero Trust security, share real-time intelligence and build cybersecurity talent, amid escalating infiltration attempts targeting Indian digital infrastructure.

At the India AI Impact Summit, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said, “To Prime Minister Modi, thank you for placing the democratisation of AI at the heart of this summit,” praising India’s leadership.

Infosys CEO Salil Parekh said “AI engineering, legacy modernisation is a big opportunity,” adding the company has hired 20,000 graduates and is on track to hire 20,000 next year as “AI opening new set of opportunities.”

TCS CEO K Krithivasan said the “role of system integrators” remains vital amid complex systems, adding, “Can’t have an LLM in one day and software engineers will go away.” He said roles will shift towards “context engineering.”

After Youth Congress workers staged a topless protest at Bharat Mandapam, Dr Jitendra Singh said, “This reflects the Congress party’s deep frustration and sense of entitlement.” He accused Rahul Gandhi of undermining India’s global reputation and said such tactics show “the absence of a forward-looking vision.”

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said India Stack shows how a public digital backbone can remain widely accessible. He cautioned that trade agreements must not foster digital dependency, adding that India, alongside partners such as the EU, can help shape a fairer global digital order.

After Youth Congress protested at Bharat Mandapam, Yogi Adityanath called it a “shameful incident” tarnishing India’s global image.

After Youth Congress workers staged a topless protest at Bharat Mandapam, Rajnath Singh said, “While the entire world was watching India host the AI Impact Summit… the Congress party chose the path of disrupting the event instead of enhancing the nation's honour. The shameful manner… is… an attempt to tarnish India's reputation…”

After Youth Congress staged a topless protest at Bharat Mandapam, Piyush Goyal called it 'Congress arrogance and frustration on display.'

The Bharatiya Janata Party criticised Indian Youth Congress workers after they staged a topless protest and raised anti-Modi slogans at Bharat Mandapam. BJP leader Tarun Chugh said, “The crime committed by Congress workers at the international summit as part of a conspiracy to tarnish India's image is unforgivable. The people of the country will never forgive this... The Congress party under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi keeps hatching every despicable conspiracy under the foreign toolkit...”

Delhi: Indian Youth Congress workers staged a topless protest and chanted anti-Modi slogans at Bharat Mandapam

Cristiano Amon said AI will fundamentally change how we think about mobile devices. “We expect the AI is going to have a fundamental shift in the mobile industry, where the agent is going to be at the very center and everything surrounds the agent,” Amon explained. He added that the telecom sector is heading toward its next major transformation, with 6G expected to deliver faster speeds, lower latency, broader coverage, and an evolution in connectivity.

Artificial intelligence could usher in a more humane social order and potentially strengthen women’s role in the economy, according to Dame Wendy Hall, Regius Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton, who said the technology may help accelerate the growth of the care economy while reshaping traditional gender dynamics.

At India AI Impact Summit, Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav says, "This is an incredible opportunity to connect with AI and move forward with the world. I have come here personally with my officials to see how it can be beneficial for our state and how we can become partners in the world so that the state progresses."

Delhi: At India AI Impact Summit, Inaugural Fellow at the Centre on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, David Sandalow says, "... I think 35 thousand participants and all kinds of heads of state are here... It is an amazing gathering, and leaders from the AI industry are here. The dialogue here is fantastic. As an American visiting here, it is a commitment on the part of the Indian government to make India a player when it comes to artificial intelligence in the years ahead. For me, that's extremely interesting, and it has lots of potential because I think India can contribute to the AI future for the world."

Delhi: On the signing of the Pax Silica Declaration between India and the US, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, says, "The semiconductor supply chain is very important for the entire world. There is a need for a resilient supply chain. We have seen the kind of disruptions which happened during COVID, and it can also be weaponised. So that's why today the entire world is looking at India as a trusted country. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has positioned India as a trusted country which believes in freedom and democracy...It's a very important historical event for us because our semiconductor industry has evolved very well in the last decade..."

Delhi: On the signing of the Pax Silica Declaration between India and the US, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, says, "The semiconductor supply chain is very important for the entire world. There is a need for a resilient supply chain. We have seen the kind of disruptions which happened during COVID, and it can also be weaponised. So that's why today the entire world is looking at India as a trusted country. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has positioned India as a trusted country which believes in freedom and democracy...It's a very important historical event for us because our semiconductor industry has evolved very well in the last decade..."

At India AI Impact Summit 2026, Ilan Fluss, EDTs Policy Coordinator at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says," AI is a revolution which touches every aspect...Israel is a leader in innovation and research. The Israeli innovations can benefit the world at large. From technical to strategic, Israel has a lot to offer...India is such a big country, while Israel is a small country with only 10 million people. But the solutions for the two countries can be the same or converge. In working with India to bring solutions for the scale of India is very important. We are hearing a lot of responsible AI, but first of all, we need to identify the challenges and develop solutions..."

Delhi: On the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary says, "... There is a lot of excitement and huge participation. This was one of the big wins for India at the global stage and an acknowledgement of India's talent, our skilled ecosystem, and our capacity to create and innovate. India is already one of the largest users of these technologies. The multi-dimensional aspect of the ideas that will flow in the future, from agriculture to health to education, we are looking forward to it. In 2025, we came up with a framework for skilling in AI. After which, we were able to create a lot of courses, and then we hosted them on Skill India Digital Hub. I would engage with young people and invite them to do these courses..."

Delhi | At the #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026, UN Secretary-General António Guterres says, "Today international cooperation is difficult. Trust is trained, and technological rivalry is growing. Without a common baseline, fragmentation wins, with different regions and different countries operating under incompatible policies and technical standards. A patchwork of rules will raise costs, weaken safety and widen divides... When we agree on how to test systems and measure risk, we create interoperability. So a startup in New Delhi can scale globally with confidence because the benchmarks are shared and safety can travel with technology."

At the #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026, UN Secretary-General António Guterres says, "Once we understand what systems can do and what they cannot, we can move from rough measures to smarter, risk-based guardrails. Guardrails that protect people, uphold human rights, and preserve human agency. Guardrails that build confidence and give business clarity so innovation can move faster in the right direction. Science-led governance is not a brake on progress. It is an accelerator for solutions... It helps us identify where AI can do the most good the fastest, and it helps us anticipate early impacts from risks for children to labour markets to manipulation at scale, so countries can prepare, protect, and invest in people."

Delhi: Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, says, "...The world trusts India...We have a large talent pool, and we have conducted our foreign policy in a way which creates their trust. As part of that, today, the Pax Silica was signed, which is very important for the semiconductor supply chain, semiconductor manufacturing, and chip design, for establishing the entire semiconductor ecosystem in our country."

"...India has become a part of the Pax Silica. This will greatly benefit India's electronics and semiconductor industry. Ten plants are already established in India and are in the process of being established, and very soon, the first semiconductor plant will begin commercial production. In that context, the most advanced two-nanometer chips are being designed in India today. A complete ecosystem is emerging in India. Pax Silica will be crucial for this, and the youth of India will benefit from it."

Delhi: On India AI Impact Summit, US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, says, "...It's been a very impactful summit. We have a lot of opportunities between our two nations, and so we look forward on engaging on that."

When asked about the possibility of a meeting between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump, he said, "Stay tuned, I'm sure it'll happen at the right moment."

Gor: We choose freedom, partnership and strength. With India's entry to Pax Silica, we choose to win

Sergio Gor said the emerging era of “Pax Silica” would define the 21st century economic and technological order, describing India’s participation as both strategic and essential. Emphasising India’s deep talent pool and its capacity to challenge global rivals, he noted that New Delhi is advancing critical minerals processing capabilities and that the United States is actively engaging with India in this domain. Gor added that Washington is prepared to share trusted technologies with India and said India has a strong understanding of the geopolitical realities of this part of the world.

Sergio Gor, Ambassador of the USA to India: What has struck me most is not India's scale, it is India's resolve. I keep talking about the limitless potential to work together between the two nations.

Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary said India still has significant ground to cover in artificial intelligence but expressed confidence that the country could benefit from a second mover advantage driven by strong policy backing.

Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit, Chaudhary acknowledged the pace at which global AI ecosystems are evolving.

“we have a lot of catching up to do in terms of AI,” he said.

At the same time, he pointed to structural strengths that could help India accelerate its progress. “We may enjoy a second mover advantage, which is coming because of a strong top down push,” Chaudhary noted, highlighting coordinated efforts from leadership to scale AI initiatives.

Jacob Helberg, United States Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, underscored the need for deeper strategic coordination between India and the United States while speaking at the India AI Impact Summit.

Addressing the evolving global economic and technological landscape, Helberg stressed that both nations must recalibrate their approach to long term economic resilience and cooperation.

"For too long we (India and US) have allowed the foundations of economic security to drift," he said.

Delhi: On India AI Impact Summit, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis says, "2026 is the International Year of Women in agriculture. AI solutions must be designed with women farmers, not merely for them. Maharashtra today presents one of the most compelling agri-innovation ecosystems globally... We invite venture capital funds, impact investors, multilateral development banks, corporate innovation arms, and philanthropic foundations to partner with us. In this partnership, we envisage scaling AI advisory platforms, co-developing traceability DPI modules, investing in agri-tech startups, supporting digital literacy, especially among women farmers, and building capacity in the rural AI ecosystem."

Pichai: Let me congratulate US and India on this historic agreement. Alongside the US India trade deal this will ensure robust tech partnership between the two countries

At the India AI Impact Summit, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc. and Google, reaffirmed the company’s long term commitment to supporting India’s artificial intelligence ecosystem with what he described as a full stack approach.

“We are supporting India's ambitions in India with full stack commitment,” Pichai said, underlining Google’s intent to contribute across infrastructure, models and developer enablement.

As part of that effort, he announced that the company has committed 25 Gemini models to AI Kosh to strengthen access to advanced AI capabilities for Indian developers.

The India AI Impact Summit 2026 brought together world leaders, policymakers and technology experts in New Delhi, with conversations focused on ensuring that artificial intelligence evolves in a way that benefits humanity while reinforcing international collaboration.

During a panel hosted by the RUSSOFT Association and Akis Tech, Valentin Makarov, President of the RUSSOFT Association, highlighted the enduring relationship between India and Russia and pointed to fresh opportunities for cooperation in advanced technologies.

In an interview with ANI, he reflected on his long association with India, saying, "I first visited India in 1995. Russia and India have an opportunity to create a new centre of competence, a new big market, and a pool of talented innovators. Trust remains the foundation for our future endeavours. PM Modi's vision and AI's impact are crucial in this context. Collaboration brings us much more benefits."

Delhi: On India AI Impact Summit, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis says, "The India AI mission is about using technology to deliver inclusion, transparency, and scale. Today, agriculture must sit at the heart of this mission. Over half a billion Indians depend directly or indirectly on agriculture. Yet, smallholders face fragmented information, rising input costs, climate uncertainty, and limited access to credit and markets... Artificial intelligence changes this equation. AI can provide hyperlocal weather predictions, early outbreak warnings, precision irrigation and fertiliser guidance, credit scoring based on crop intelligence, transparent traceable supply chains, real-time market advisories... AI must be built on trusted data, ethical governance, and public accountability."

Delhi: On India AI Impact Summit, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis says, "Across the world, food systems are under strain. Climate volatility is intensifying. Water tables are falling. Soil health is deteriorating. Supply chains are fragile, and global markets are unpredictable. For countries from the global south, agriculture is not merely an economic sector. It is livelihood, social stability and national security. India understands this very deeply. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has placed digital public infrastructure and responsible AI at the centre."

Delhi: On #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026, Amitesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary, MeitY & CEO of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), says, "First key takeaway is that we have seen the global participation. The global participation shows how much other countries think that India is capable of doing, and that is first learning. Second, we have seen many startups showcasing their models and AI applications. Many of them have superior parameters or outcomes on different scales when they compare their solutions, AI applications, with already established AI applications. So that is again a very good thing. And this has been done in a very short period of time. Under the India AI mission, we are providing compute, data sets...I am confident that very soon you will see India taking the lead in this AI application journey."

With the India AI Impact Summit 2026 entering its fifth day at Bharat Mandapam, the Delhi Traffic Police has released a new advisory detailing road restrictions and alternate routes to manage vehicular flow across the capital.

The advisory notes multiple VVIP movements expected at Bharat Mandapam, Indira Gandhi International Airport and other key locations in the city. In view of this, special traffic arrangements will be enforced during peak hours from 8 am to 10 am and again from 5 pm to 9 pm.

“Special traffic arrangements will be in place on 20 Feb, 2026 from 08:00–10:00 AM & 05:00–09:00 PM in view of AI Impact Summit–2026,” DTP wrote on its official X handle.

Commuters have been advised to plan their travel accordingly and check the list of affected routes and suggested alternatives to avoid congestion.

While talking about the India AI Impact Summit, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "... These first couple of days have gone extremely well. There have been some glitches, but these things happen in a large event. What has been impressive is the attendance of Presidents, Prime Ministers, and world leaders, and they've come with a strong message of wanting to see a newly integrated world in AI development, where the impact upon society would be the Principle. Preoccupation in India has clearly led the drive in this area. As far as the French Rafale is concerned, parts of it are being manufactured in India, and that is a very important aspect of the deal because it is part of strengthening our defence, but also increasing our self-reliance in the defence sector... Defence is important for India not because we want to go to war, but because we don't want others to think that we are so weak that they can be tempted to go to war. It is a defensive defence literally, and I support the government on that."

On collaboration between India and Russia on AI, Indo-Russia 'Innopraktika' Technology Hub CEO Debjit Chakraborty says, "If a country is supreme in AI, both politically and economically, it will assert its global dominance... Our PM's participation in the AI summit highlights India's prowess on the global stage, not only among BRICS nations but worldwide. We aim to foster collaboration between India and Russia by facilitating the transfer of Russian technology to India, particularly within the mid-market segment. Through partnerships with IITs and state governments, we’re working to build AI-driven cyber-physical systems that will be incubated here and then sold worldwide... We are also committed to establishing AI ethics, policies, and standards... By following AI ethics and ensuring responsible AI use, we can ensure that the data generated is secure and meets its intended purpose."

He also says, "We aim to create a trusted and secure infrastructure... Transferring Russian technology to India allows us to rebrand it as Indian technology, customising it using local research centres and the MSME sector. The goal is to create sovereign, trusted hardware... We are also planning collaborations with Russian cybersecurity firms like Kaspersky, which has had a long presence in India, to enhance our joint cybersecurity efforts..."

On Panel Session by the RUSSOFT Association and Akis Tech, Chief Managing Partner For AI Development, Alexander Pavlov says, "AI plays a substantial role in video game industry. We develop our own AI, analyse users' behaviour, and create virtual worlds powered by AI. Our interest is in seeing AI grow, which is precisely what this summit represents... This summit in New Delhi is where the most groundbreaking ideas are emerging..."

He also says, "Democratising AI and sharing technologies through technological exchange is key to a brighter future. We need to come together on joint projects, not just in AI but in other fields like gaming, cinema, animation, and major technological ventures... Prime Minister Modi's vision is great, as he vouches for technology and progress, but always with a focus on human hearts and minds... This vision is crucial, particularly in the context of BRICS, as both India and Russia are part of this new global economic reality..."

On Day 4 of the summit, a fleeting yet widely discussed moment during a group photograph drew attention online when the chief executives of rival artificial intelligence firms OpenAI and Anthropic appeared to avoid holding hands.

The episode unfolded during a high profile appearance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was captured on camera. The clip quickly circulated on social media, where users characterised the exchange as “awkward” and even framed it as a sign of an ongoing “AI cold war”.

Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a light hearted comment about Delhi’s traffic congestion while apologising for a delay at a joint session held at the British High Commission in the national capital.

Sunak, who was appearing alongside UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, attributed the late start to the city’s notorious traffic.

"Sorry, we're a few minutes late, that's entirely my fault. AI can do many things, as we've heard this week, but it can't yet fix Delhi's traffic. So, work to do," he said.

On Day 5 of the India AI Impact Summit, prominent industry leaders such as Sundar Pichai of Google, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Vijay Shekhar Sharma of Paytm, Aadit Palicha of Zepto, Nandan Nilekani and Salil Parekh of Infosys, along with K Krithivasan of Tata Consultancy Services, were among the key voices shaping discussions.

Apart from them, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu and AAP leader Raghav Chadha will also be speaking at the summit today.