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India Hosts Historic Global AI Summit with OpenAI, Google Leaders

First major AI summit in the Global South brings tech giants to New Delhi.

By Cody RodeoUpdated Feb 16, 2026 • 9:43 PM

India launched the AI Impact Summit 2026 today in New Delhi, bringing together global technology leaders including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for the first major AI conference hosted in the Global South.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the five-day summit at Bharat Mandapam, where over 10,000 attendees from 50+ countries are discussing AI governance, deployment strategies, and ethical frameworks. The event marks India's emergence as a key player in shaping global AI policy and development.

"This summit represents a pivotal moment for AI development that puts welfare for all at the center," said Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who announced that India's home-grown AI models will debut at the event.

Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have committed a combined $68 billion in AI and cloud infrastructure investment in India through 2030. The summit features keynote speeches, panel discussions with industry leaders, and demonstrations of India's indigenous AI capabilities.

Startup Sarvam AI is unveiling a larger voice-focused model designed to deliver low-cost AI solutions to India's vast population, while government-backed projects aim to democratize AI access across economic segments.

All sessions are being livestreamed on the IndiaAI YouTube channel, making the groundbreaking discussions accessible to global audiences. Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and other tech luminaries are scheduled to speak Thursday.