Symbolically, the summit is being held at Bharat Mandapam, India’s largest international convention center. It opened in 2023 and has become a key venue for the G20 Summit. The center combines modern technology with elements of Indian cultural heritage. So where else but there to hold such a summit, which experts have already called a “game changer” for the AI industry.
High representation
The summit brought together top stars from both high-tech and politics. The scale of the forum is reflected in the numbers: more than 100 countries, about 850 companies and about 250,000 participants were represented. Among the key figures are Sundar Pichai (Google) and Sam Altman (OpenAI).
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the summit that AI should “serve humanity and sustainable development,” outlining India’s strategy – not just to participate in the AI race, but to shape its rules, notes The Times of India
That this is an achievable goal is evidenced by the summit’s top figure: potential investments of up to $100 billion in India’s national AI ecosystem have been announced. We are talking about creating our own language models, data center infrastructure and the development of local startups.
Why this is a watershed moment
Whereas countries in the Global South were once consumers of technology, they are now claiming to be the architects of global AI regulation.
The scale and interest in the summit is a clear indication of New Delhi’s seriousness about becoming a key player in AI development.
For investors, this is a clear signal of capital reallocation and new opportunities.
For technology giants, it is a signal of a new competitive environment that will have to be reckoned with in the very near future.
For the labor market, it indicates the formation of a new center of attraction for AI talents.
All this leads to an unambiguous conclusion: India AI Summit 2026 may become the event that will change the map of the global AI forever.
