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India’s AI Impact Summit Concludes with 89‑Nation Declaration Amid Infrastructure Hurdles

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  • The event is being promoted as the first major international AI meeting hosted in the Global South
    The event is being promoted as the first major international AI meeting hosted in the Global South
    Image: BBC
    The event is being promoted as the first major international AI meeting hosted in the Global South (Getty Images) Source Full size
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  • Delegates at the event complained of long queues and crowd mismanagement
    Delegates at the event complained of long queues and crowd mismanagement
    Image: BBC
    Delegates at the event complained of long queues and crowd mismanagement (EPA/Shutterstock) Source Full size
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the summit on Monday
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the summit on Monday
    Image: BBC
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the summit on Monday (Getty Images) Source Full size

Delhi Summit Draws Over 100 Nations, Faces Opening‑Day Chaos The AI Impact Summit opened on 17 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, Delhi, drawing roughly 70,000 delegates from more than 100 countries [11][10]. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the five‑day event, while tech leaders such as Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Sundar Pichai (Alphabet) attended [3][11]. Logistical failures on the first day—long queues, cash‑only food stalls, and stolen wearable devices—prompted IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to apologize and activate a “war‑room” response team [11]. Despite the chaos, sessions on AI applications and policy drew praise, and the Indian Army showcased an indigenous dual‑use AI suite [9]. The summit’s momentum continued through 24 February, when editorial coverage summarized its outcomes [1].

Voluntary AI Democratization Declaration Signed by Majority of Attendees The summit concluded with a voluntary AI democratization declaration, reportedly signed by 89 countries, committing to share knowledge and close the inference gap [1]. Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw earlier indicated that more than 70 nations had already signed and expected the tally to exceed 80 by the summit’s end [3]. The discrepancy between the 89 signatures and the “over 70” figure reflects rapid final‑day sign‑ups, making the declaration the broadest multilateral AI‑governance pledge to date [1][3].

India Proposes “Third Way” Governance and Non‑Binding Military AI Norms India introduced a “Third Way” AI‑governance model that positions the country between the EU’s compliance‑heavy regime, the US’s hands‑off stance, and China’s state‑centric approach, emphasizing adoption, diffusion, diplomacy, and capacity‑building [8]. Concurrently, New Delhi advocated a non‑binding, accountability‑based framework for military AI, abstaining from the REAIM “Pathways to Action” declaration and proposing safeguards such as banning AI‑augmented autonomous nuclear decision‑making [7]. The summit also highlighted a human‑centred AI agenda aligned with World Day of Social Justice, calling for inclusive policies that protect workers while fostering innovation [6].

Infrastructure Costs and Foreign Capital Pose Deployment Challenges Summit analysts warned that India’s AI rollout faces steep hurdles: rising GPU prices, dependence on foreign‑owned capital, and the need for additional electrical capacity to power expanding data‑centre clusters [1][6]. While domestic data‑centre capacity is growing, the strategy leans toward model deployment rather than in‑house training and fine‑tuning, raising concerns about long‑term self‑reliance [1]. These infrastructure constraints are cited as key obstacles to achieving the democratization goals outlined in the declaration [1][6].

IMF and OECD Forecast AI‑Driven Growth and Job Shifts IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva projected that AI could add 0.8 % to global GDP, helping India achieve its “Viksit Bharat” vision, but cautioned about job displacement risks [3]. The OECD warned that 27 % of occupations face high automation risk, urging modular upskilling for adults [3]. Indian analysts estimate AI could create over 3 million new technology jobs by 2030 and reshape more than 10 million existing roles, supported by initiatives such as the AI Mission and partnerships with the ILO [6]. These projections underscore the summit’s focus on balancing economic gains with social‑justice safeguards [3][6].

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Timeline

Nov 2025 – India releases “Third Way” AI governance guidelines that focus on adoption, diffusion, diplomacy and capacity‑building, using existing legal structures and an agile framework to scale AI for inclusive health, agriculture, education and public administration [8].

Dec 29, 2025 – The Union government announces the AI Impact Summit will match G20‑scale participation, expecting 15‑20 heads of state and ~100,000 attendees, with over 300 pre‑summit events already held to signal India’s intent to shape global AI policy and include the Global South [12].

Feb 10, 2026 – India amends the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, mandating platforms to label AI‑generated content and remove harmful material within three hours, the first compulsory AI‑disclosure requirement [8].

Feb 17, 2026 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the first Global‑South AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam; opening‑day chaos produces long queues, cash‑only food stalls and stolen wearables, prompting IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to apologise and launch a “war‑room,” calling the organisation “very slow” [2].

Feb 17, 2026 – The Indian Army showcases an indigenous dual‑use AI suite—including AI Examiner, SAM‑UN, EKAM, PRAKSHEPAN, XFace and deep‑fake detection—highlighting self‑reliance, disaster‑resilience and civilian applications such as flood warnings [11].

Feb 18, 2026 – India puts forward a “Third Way” AI governance model distinct from EU, US and China, leveraging its size and digital diffusion to promote strategic autonomy, public‑private partnerships and agile collective standards for the Global South, with the next 12 months set to test its balance of innovation and security [8].

Feb 18, 2026 – India abstains from the REAIM “Pathways to Action” military AI declaration, deeming binding LAWS rules “premature” and advocating a flexible, accountability‑based framework that bans AI‑augmented autonomous nuclear decision‑making and encourages voluntary confidence‑building data exchanges [9].

Feb 18, 2026 – On World Day of Social Justice, the summit frames its agenda around human‑centred AI; India leads in ChatGPT usage and forecasts AI could create >3 million new technology jobs by 2030, while the ILO‑backed e‑Shram platform now covers 64.3 % of informal workers, boosted by Microsoft’s $17.5 billion AI investment [10].

Feb 19, 2026 – Experts publish opinion pieces urging guardrails for military AI and social‑good governance, stressing the need for clear defence safeguards and inclusive policy frameworks [7].

Feb 19, 2026 – A satirical “Saltman” interview appears in The Hindu, humorously proclaiming India the “greatest country” and outlining six AI layers, underscoring the summit’s cultural resonance despite its fictional nature [5].

Feb 20, 2026 – Over 70 nations have signed the AI Impact Summit declaration, with expectations to exceed 80 signatories, marking the broadest multilateral AI‑governance commitment; IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warns AI could add 0.8 % to global growth but also pose job‑loss risks, urging balanced policy [4].

Feb 20, 2026 – Prime Minister Modi meets OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, touting sovereign AI for agriculture, environment and education, while Altman praises India’s rapid AI adoption and sovereign infrastructure plans [4].

Feb 22, 2026 – In his Mann Ki Baat broadcast, Modi warns citizens against digital‑arrest scams and KYC fraud, stressing updates are “only for the security of your own money,” and showcases AI‑assisted livestock monitoring and ancient‑manuscript digitisation demonstrated at the summit [6].

Feb 23, 2026 – Eighty‑nine countries sign a voluntary AI democratisation declaration, committing to share knowledge and close the inference gap; observers criticize India’s alignment with the US hands‑off approach that may limit collective safety standards [3].

Feb 24, 2026 – Editorials summarise the week‑long summit, noting massive Indian enthusiasm, infrastructure and cost hurdles for AI deployment, and calling for democratising AI to avoid an inference gap, reflecting the event’s implications for India’s global AI role [3].

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