IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnau on Wednesday said India is focused on practical applications of AI, including in corporate productivity, and solutions to population-scale challenges such as healthcare, agriculture and climate change.
Speaking at the AI Impact Summit research symposium, the minister also expressed delight at the strong participation and optimistic attitude of young people at the AI Expo on Tuesday. He announced that around 2.5 million participants, most under 30 years old, participated across the exhibition area.
“When I interacted with the young people, it was a phenomenal response. I was very surprised by the optimism that most of the young people expressed about this opportunity that was coming their way,” Vaishnau said. — with PTI
Unintelligent people should not post about AI: Bharatiya Janata Party’s remarks on Rahul Gandhi AI Summit
February 18, 2026 3:15 p.m.
Rejecting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the AI summit, the Bharatiya Janata Party said no one without sufficient intelligence should post “off-the-shelf” comments on social media on topics like artificial intelligence. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed that Gandhi always tries to tarnish India’s image whenever he sees India playing a leading role on the world stage and being praised for its efforts. Earlier, Mr. Gandhi had attacked the government, calling the ongoing AI summit a “disorganized PR show” and claiming that Chinese products were on display there.
Prime Minister Modi talks with Google CEO Sundar Pichai
February 18, 2026 2:52pm
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet, to discuss the work India is doing in the field of artificial intelligence and how the tech giant can collaborate with Indian students and experts in this field. Pichai was here to attend the India AI Impact Summit, which is being held in parallel with the expo at the Bharat Mandapam here. “I had the pleasure of meeting Sundar Pichai on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. We spoke about the work India is doing in the AI space and how Google can work with talented students and experts in this field,” PM Modi wrote to X.
Institutionalizing human control over AI-enabled systems: Lt. Gen. Vipul Singhal
February 18, 2026 1:19 p.m.
India needs to responsibly deploy AI-enabled systems with institutionalized human control and well-defined capabilities, which can be supported and encouraged by AI, said Lt. Gen. Vipul Singhal, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Information Systems and Training). India is emerging as a military power with a rapidly growing AI ecosystem, and as a civilization that has long understood that power must be governed by restraint, the country has both the capability and credibility to lead the world in using AI responsibly in conflict, he said while speaking at the summit’s session on ‘Defense Perspectives in AI’.
India to increase tech market cap to $2 trillion over next 10 years: Accel Partners
February 18, 2026 1:11pm
Over the next decade, India is on track to increase its market capitalization by nearly $2 trillion, create big companies and reshape the country’s economic landscape through technology, according to venture capital firm Accel. “India intends to leverage technology to increase its market capitalization by USD 2 trillion over the next 10 years,” Accel Partner Prayank Swaroop said while speaking at the ongoing AI Impact Summit. Technology companies currently account for only 4-5% of India’s total market capitalization, but he predicted that this share could jump to 15-20% over the next decade.
India AI Expo to remain closed on February 19th, temporarily closed on February 21st
February 18, 2026 1:11pm
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/india-ai-summit-to-remain-closed-on-feb-19-to-get-extra-day-on-feb-21/
India AI Impact Summit hits Guinness Book of Records
February 18, 2026 1:03pm
The summit entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the most pledges made by students to the responsible use of AI in a 24-hour period, according to the British record-keeping body. Guinness World Records adjudicator Pravin Patel announced during the summit that a total of 2,50,946 pledges were received against the target of 5,000. “This was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, so we asked schools and universities to take a pledge to use AI responsibly,” said Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnau.
Qualcomm invests up to $150 million in India’s Strategic AI Venture Fund
February 18, 2026 12:12pm
Global semiconductor giant Qualcomm plans to invest up to USD 150 million, or approximately Rs 1,360 crore, to support India’s rapidly expanding ecosystem of technology and AI startups, the company said. The investment will be deployed through Qualcomm Ventures and will be made in startups at all stages, with a particular focus on AI for automotive, IoT, robotics and mobile, the company said in a statement. The announcement coincided with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon’s participation in the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. “Through our new Strategic AI Venture Fund, Qualcomm is investing in companies that are advancing the next chapter of AI in India,” Amon said.
AI will revolutionize science and medicine. Social challenges require global cooperation: Google DeepMind CEO
February 18, 2026 12:10pm
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis expressed “cautious optimism”, saying AI will transform science and medicine, but insisted international dialogue and cooperation is needed to manage the societal challenges. Speaking to a packed house at the India AI Impact Summit, Hassabis said the world is at a “breaking point” and artificial general intelligence (AGI) could become a reality within the next five to eight years. “I would say my message is one of cautious optimism. So I think we’re on the cusp of a completely incredible transformation that will have incredible benefits, especially for science and medicine. That’s what I’m passionate about, and I think it’s going to revolutionize the way we approach human health,” he said.
Chinese products introduced at the AI Summit. Irreparable damage done to the country’s image: Rahul Gandhi
February 18, 2026 12:00 p.m.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed the AI summit a “disorganized PR show” and alleged that Chinese products were on display there. “Instead of leveraging India’s talent and data, the AI summit is an unorganized PR spectacle. Indian data is being sold and Chinese products are on display,” Gandhi said in a post on X. The former parliament speaker’s comments came amid controversy over Galgotias University’s alleged display of a robot dog named “Orion” at the AI Summit exhibition, which critics said was actually a Chinese-made Unitree Go2 and not an innovation of its own. According to sources, Galgotias University has been asked to immediately withdraw its stall from the AI Summit Expo.
Hope for a new future for India and the world: Vaishnau
February 18, 2026 11:07am
“In India, we are very focused on AI at the edge, AI for use cases, AI to solve real-world problems, AI to improve enterprise productivity, population-scale problems like healthcare, agriculture, and climate change. These are the things we are focused on here in India. And the AI submission provides that opportunity,” he said. The minister called on the symposium participants to come up with solid, concrete proposals on how to make AI safe. AI is a great tool and should be used for the benefit of humans.
Participant access will be limited on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Expo extended until 8 p.m.
February 18, 2026 11:05 a.m.
Access to the summit on Wednesday and Thursday will be restricted due to the movement of dignitaries and the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, government officials said. Meiti officials said delegates attending the meeting at the Bharat Mandapam will have to leave the conference hall by 4:30 p.m., as the prime minister will host a dinner for state guests and business leaders after 6 p.m. Akhil Kumar, Managing Director and CEO, Digital India, told reporters that the AI Expo area will remain open till 8 pm from February 18 onwards, following tremendous enthusiasm from the participants.
