India is accelerating self-reliance in the AI ​​sector

“The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted several pre-summit events for the upcoming India-AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi on Saturday”

New Delhi 12/10/2025 Report by Santosh Seth

These events are a significant step towards the India-AI Impact Summit 2026, to be held on February 19-20, 2026, at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi”

In his opening remarks, Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, said, “We have adopted innovative approaches, learning from the experiences of others, to create practical projects and products that will truly transform our lives.

This approach, in partnership with the private sector, is both accessible to the public sector and ensures a level playing field for all providers.

This ensures that we can ensure availability for all with minimal resources. Several international agencies have also found our approach highly attractive, creating a model that can be used for the rest of the Global South.”

Pre-Summit events brought together leaders from government, industry, academia, and global institutions to discuss how AI can accelerate inclusive, secure, and sustainable development in the digital and telecommunications ecosystem.

The discussions reflected India’s vision of leveraging AI for social welfare, economic strength, and inclusive growth, which aligns with the upcoming Summit’s theme: “From Action to Impact.” Participants also discussed India’s growing AI ecosystem, progress under the India-AI Mission, and opportunities for partnerships that democratize access to and innovation in AI.

Four high-level panels were held as part of the pre-summit, focusing on key dimensions of India’s AI roadmap:

1. AI in Telecommunications for Social and Economic Impact – discussed how AI can transform telecommunications infrastructure, connectivity, and service delivery for the benefit of citizens and businesses.
2. Building Trusted AI in Telecommunications – discussed frameworks and collaborations for safe, transparent, and people-centric AI adoption.
3. Building India’s AI Workforce Advantage – examined strategies for developing an inclusive and future-ready AI talent pipeline.
4. AI for Inclusive Growth and Social Empowerment – ​​highlighted how AI-powered innovation can promote equality and social well-being.

Delivering his inaugural address, Mr. Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, CEO of IndiaAI and Director General, NIC, said, “The Government’s IndiaAI Mission, approved last year, is addressing key gaps by enabling affordable computing, creating a national data platform, supporting foundational models, advancing AI skills, and ensuring safe and reliable AI.

Today, 38,000 GPUs are available at just ₹65 per hour, and 12 companies are developing foundational models. Given this, we envision launching an Indian large language model by the end of the year, reducing dependence on foreign systems.”

Echoing this vision, Mrs. Kavita Bhatia, Scientist G, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, COO, IndiaAI Mission, said, “As AI has deeply penetrated systems ranging from spectrum management, predictive maintenance, customer engagement, to fraud detection, the question now arises of how to make networks reliable.

This becomes extremely important. AI holds immense potential in the telecom sector. It can ensure reliable connectivity in rural areas, provide resilience against network disruptions, and empower new services in various sectors, including financial inclusion.”

Pre-summit events were attended by senior government officials and industry leaders, including representatives from Reliance Jio, TCS, Tanla Platforms, BharatGPT-CoRover.AI, AWS, AMD, C-DOT, BITS Pilani, Google, Airtel, Netweb Technologies, UNESCO, TrueMinds Software Systems, Microsoft, and others.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) pavilion at IMC was also awarded the Best Exhibitor – Government award, recognizing India’s AI journey and the impressive showcase of the upcoming India-AI Impact Summit 2026.

The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 will invite global leaders to advance the responsible design, development, and deployment of AI, guided by the tenets of “People, Planet, and Progress.” The Summit’s seven thematic “cycles”—human capital, inclusion for social empowerment, safe and reliable AI, empowerment, innovation and efficiency, science, and AI for economic growth and social well-being—reflect India’s comprehensive vision of AI as a force for equitable and sustainable progress.

The India-AI Impact Summit, organized by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, will be held in New Delhi on February 19-20, 2026.

This global platform will showcase the transformative role of AI in promoting inclusive growth, sustainability, and equitable progress.

The Summit paves a path where AI serves humanity, advances inclusive development, promotes social development, and fosters innovations that protect the planet.

Three Principles

The Summit will be based on three guiding principles:

• People: AI should serve humanity in all its diversity, respect cultural identities, protect dignity, and ensure that no one is left behind. Focus areas include human development in an AI-enabled world, multilingual and accessible systems, and secure and reliable deployment.
• Planet: AI development and deployment should be resource-efficient and also accelerate climate resilience, environmental protection, and scientific discoveries. AI should be consistent with planetary management and global sustainability goals.
• Progress: Ensuring equitable distribution of the benefits of AI, democratizing access to datasets, computing, and models, and applying AI in healthcare, education, governance, and agriculture.

Seven Cycles

The objectives are implemented through seven cycles, which are areas of multilateral cooperation designed to deliver concrete results:

• Human Capital – Focuses on employment, skills development, and workforce transformation. Focuses on literacy, reskilling, and developing global frameworks for equitable access to future skills.
• Inclusion for Social Empowerment – ​​Promoting AI that reflects languages, cultures, and identities, ensuring access for persons with disabilities, and preventing gender and data bias.
• Safe and Trustworthy AI – Providing democratic access to security testing, transparency, and auditing tools, and building interoperable governance and assurance mechanisms.
• Robustness, Innovation, and Efficiency – Promoting resource-efficient AI that is lightweight and adapts to local realities, thereby reducing inequalities and environmental costs.
• Science – Expanding the responsible use of AI to accelerate research and discovery, strengthening systems and partnerships in the Global South, and promoting open and interdisciplinary research.
• Democratization of AI Resources – Creating pathways for equitable access to data, compute, models, and critical infrastructure, enabling diverse AI solutions that reflect global realities.
• AI for Economic Development and Social Welfare – Identifying and expanding AI applications in areas of public interest, creating platforms for knowledge and resource sharing, and enabling cross-border collaboration.

As AI adoption grows worldwide, the AI ​​Impact Summit provides a platform for discussion on the measurable impact of AI, highlighting India’s role as a global convener for the Global South and beyond.

By bringing together world leaders, innovators, policymakers, and industry leaders, the Summit will shape a shared vision for AI that truly benefits many, not just a few.