In response to the growing global conversation around artificial intelligence after the recently concluded AI Impact Summit, which was held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from February 16 to 20, the WiMLDS (Women in Machine Learning and Data Science) community, which has been active in the city for the past eight years, is organizing a special community discussion on March 14 at 2:00 pm on Banner’s Mindbowser to bring the learnings and experiences from the summit to the Pune ecosystem.
The summit, considered the first global gathering on the impact of AI hosted by the Government of India, will bring together participants from around 99 countries, approximately 700 exhibitors and 250,000 attendees, and will welcome leaders from governments, global technology companies, startups, academia and research institutions to discuss the evolving role of artificial intelligence in society, economy, governance and geopolitics.
With rapid advances in generative AI tools and underlying models, the event sparked a broader discussion on opportunities and challenges related to AI, including concerns about the transformation of employment, the future of software development, and its impact on India’s largely services-driven IT sector. The summit also comes at a time when global geopolitics is being reshaped by shifting trade relationships, regional conflicts, and accelerated competition for leadership in AI technology, making discussions around AI development, infrastructure, and governance increasingly strategic for nations.
“As many professionals, students, and industry players in Pune were unable to attend the summit in person, WiMLDS Pune is hosting this session to share ground-level perspectives beyond the headlines, bringing together participants who attended the summit as delegates, speakers, startup exhibitors, or closely observed the session through live broadcasts and discussions,” said Sucheta Dhere, Founder, Women in Machine Learning and Data Science, Pune.
Interactive sessions will explore key signals from governments, international delegations, and global technology leaders such as OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, and Meta, as well as insights from startups attending the expo. The discussion will also consider how different countries and companies are approaching AI development, democratization, and infrastructure. These include the high cost of computing resources such as GPUs needed to train large models, data sovereignty issues, debates over access to AI infrastructure, and whether India will emerge as a developer of foundational AI technologies or remain primarily a consumer of global innovation.
This session will focus on “the real-world impact of AI across multiple levels: personal careers, businesses, startups, the IT services sector, public policy, and society at large,” helping attendees understand what skills, mindsets, and strategies are needed to take the next stage of AI transformation. The event will also serve as a platform for Pune’s community to collectively reflect on these developments and shape the direction of WiMLDS Pune’s upcoming learning initiatives, workshops, community programs and collaborative projects in 2026. Sessions are free and open to all genders.
