India is gearing up to host a major global event on artificial intelligence (AI) — the India AI Impact Summit 2026. This historic gathering will take place from February 16 to 20, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. It marks the first time a large-scale international AI summit is held in the Global South.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi first announced the summit during an earlier AI meeting in France. Unlike past global AI talks (in places like the UK, South Korea, and France) that focused mainly on safety rules or general plans, this one shifts the spotlight to real-world results. The goal is to show how AI can make a positive difference in people's lives, protect the environment, and support steady growth. The summit rests on three simple core ideas, called “Sutras”:

·         People — putting humans first, making AI fair and helpful for everyone.

·         Planet — using AI in ways that help the environment and fight climate change.

·         Progress — driving economic and social advances through smart technology.

These ideas connect to seven areas of teamwork between countries: building skills, including everyone (especially women and youth), creating safe and trustworthy AI, making systems more efficient, advancing science, sharing resources fairly, and using AI for jobs, growth, and social benefits.

The event's main message is clear: stop just talking about AI — start using it to solve real problems. Already, more than 35,000 people have signed up for the Summit. The Summit organisers expect 15 or more heads of government, over 50 ministers, 500+ top AI experts and company leaders, and hundreds of startups to attend the event. Around 500 sessions will highlight practical AI tools in areas like healthcare, farming, schools, climate protection, and government services. Key highlights include:

·         The India AI Impact Expo — a big showcase running all five days, with 300–400+ exhibitors from India and more than 30 countries. It will fill over 10 themed areas and welcome 150,000+ visitors to see working AI examples.

·         Three open global contests: “AI for All” (open to everyone), “AI by Her” (led by women), and “YUVAi” (for young people aged 13–21).

·         A special research meeting focused on ideas from the Global South.

 ·         Live demos of ready-to-use AI solutions.

This summit builds on India's fast-growing AI work at home. The India AI Mission, launched in March 2024, follows the motto “Make AI in India and Make AI Work for India.” It has seven main parts, and progress has been strong:

·         Compute power — India aimed for 10,000 high-end GPUs (special computer chips for AI); it now has over 38,000 available, at a low cost of just ₹65 (less than $1) per hour — one of the cheapest rates anywhere.

·         AI Kosh — a national library with 5,500+ datasets and 251 AI models covering 20+ fields.

·         Home-grown AI models — support for Indian large language models (like those from Sarvam AI) and Bharat Gen, which works in 22 Indian languages.

·         Bhashini — a translation tool with over 1 million downloads, handling real-time speech and text in more than 20 languages.

·         Ready-to-use apps — 30+ government-approved AI tools already helping in daily services.

·         Skill-building — thousands of scholarships and AI labs in smaller cities.

·         Safe AI — more than 13 projects to reduce bias and ensure fairness.

·         Funding for startups — help for Indian tech companies to grow worldwide.

India's AI scene is booming. The tech industry could hit $280 billion in sales in 2025 and employ over 6 million people. More than 1,800 global company centers operate here, with 500+ focused on AI. Global rankings place India third in overall AI strength, top four in talent and rules, and second in open AI code contributions on GitHub. Government programs weave AI into daily life for greater fairness. Special centers improve telemedicine in healthcare, predict crop pests for farmers (via Kisan e-Mitra), offer personalized learning in schools (under the National Education Policy 2020), speed up courts (e-Courts), and sharpen weather predictions. Many worry AI will take jobs, but experts say the opposite: India's AI workforce could double to 1.25 million by 2027, thanks to large training programs.

The summit's results will spread widely. AI might add $1.7 trillion to India's economy by 2035. It will speed up fair access for women, young people, rural areas, and those with disabilities. The “Planet” focus will push green AI and climate fixes. For developing nations like Tajikistan, it provides a chance to build AI that fits local languages and needs, instead of just using tools made for other places. India is acting as a link between tech giants and growing economies by sharing cheap computing power, data, and training. The summit will spark new partnerships, joint projects, and clear guidelines for safe, shared AI benefits. As India moves toward its goal of a developed nation by 2047 (Viksit Bharat), the message is simple: AI should help all people. This summit is more than meetings,  it's a promise to build a future where technology lifts everyone, cares for the Earth, and creates progress we all share. The world is paying attention, and India is stepping up to show the way.