AI Impact Summit 2026: Objectives, Key Discussions and Global Impact

India is hosting the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi from February 16 to 20, bringing together global leaders, policymakers, technology executives, and civil society representatives from around 100 countries.

The primary venue for the event is Bharat Mandapam, with additional sessions taking place at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan. This is the fourth edition of the AI Impact Summit, and for the first time it is being held in the Global South, following previous editions in Seoul and Paris.

The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is expected to host over 250,000 visitors, with around 20 national leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The guest list also includes several AI executives, such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

The three main goals of the AI Impact Summit 2026 are to leverage AI to empower people and promote innovation, position India as a global provider of AI services, and democratise access to computing power, datasets and algorithms.

The Summit comprises seven working groups, termed ‘Chakras’, covering themes such as Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency; Human Capital; Safe and Trusted AI; Science; Democratising AI Resources; Inclusion for Social Empowerment; and AI for Social Good and Economic Development.

Over the five days, multiple panel discussions and roundtables are expected to be held on topics including AI and child safety, AI in healthcare, energy and education, as well as the development of a global governance framework for artificial intelligence.