AI Summit: IMF’s Kristalina Georgieva praises India’s AI push, thanks PM Modi for ‘AI democratisation’

IMF chief backs India’s AI push

At the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva lauded India’s leadership on artificial intelligence, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for placing inclusivity and wider access at the centre of the global technology debate.

She said, “I am pleased that the President of France and Prime Minister of India for taking AI on such a productive journey. To Prime Minister Modi, thank you for placing the democratisation of AI at the heart of this summit.”

#WATCH | Delhi | At the India AI Impact Summit, IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva says, "I am please that the President of France and Prime Minister of India for taking AI on such a productive journey. To Prime Minister Modi, thank you for placing the democratisation of AI at the heart… pic.twitter.com/uZU7Dox3Go

— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2026

Earlier, speaking at the summit, she said artificial intelligence could accelerate global economic growth and help India move closer to its “Viksit Bharat” ambitions. According to Georgieva, AI has the potential to raise global growth by about 0.8 percentage points, pushing expansion above pre-pandemic trends.

“Countries that move faster on digital adoption and skill development are likely to gain more than those that don’t,” Georgieva said.

However, she warned that the labour-market impact could be “tsunami-like”, estimating that around 40 per cent of jobs in emerging markets and up to 60 per cent in advanced economies could be affected in some way. She also flagged possible risks to financial stability arising from rapid technological shifts.

Despite these concerns, Georgieva struck an optimistic note. “The total impact on employment of AI is positive, but it means that smaller segment of people get higher opportunities,” she said.

She emphasised the need to revamp education systems for an AI-driven future and argued that economies with strong digital infrastructure would be best placed to benefit. India, she suggested, may be relatively well positioned given its investment in digital public infrastructure and its young, tech-savvy population.