New Delhi (Bernama): At a defining moment in human history, the world came together for the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
For us in India, it was a moment of immense pride and joy to welcome heads of state, heads of government, representatives and innovators from around the world.
India brings scale and energy to everything it does, and this summit was no exception. Representatives from over 100 countries gathered. Innovators introduced cutting-edge AI products and services.
Thousands of young people could be seen asking questions and imagining possibilities in the exhibition hall. Their curiosity made this summit the largest and most democratized artificial intelligence (AI) summit in the world.
I see this as a key moment in India’s development journey as the massive movement towards AI innovation and adoption begins in earnest.
Human history has witnessed many technological changes that changed the course of civilization. Artificial intelligence belongs to the same level as fire, writing, electricity, and the Internet. But with AI, changes that once took decades can unfold within weeks, potentially impacting the entire planet.
AI makes machines intelligent, but more than that, it amplifies human intent. It is important to make AI human-centric rather than machine-centric.
The summit put human well-being at the center of the global AI dialogue, with the principle of “Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya” (well-being for all, happiness for all).
I’ve always believed that technology should serve people, not the other way around. Be it digital payments through UPI or COVID-19 vaccinations, we have ensured that digital public infrastructure reaches everyone, leaving no one behind.
I saw the same spirit at the summit and in the work of innovators in areas such as agriculture, security, support for Divyangjan, and tools for multilingual populations.
There are already examples in India of enhancing the potential of AI. Recently launched by Indian dairy cooperative AMUL, the AI-powered digital assistant ‘Sarlaben’ provides real-time guidance in their native language to 3.6 million dairy farmers, mostly women, on cow health and productivity.
Similarly, an AI-based platform called Bharat VISTAAR provides multilingual input to farmers and provides them with information on everything from weather to market prices.
Humans should never become mere data points or raw materials for machines. Instead, AI must become a tool for global good and open new doors of progress for the Global South.
To translate this vision into action, India has presented the MANAV framework for human-centric AI governance.
M – Moral and ethical systems: AI must be based on ethical guidelines.
A – Accountable governance: transparent rules and strong oversight.
N – National Sovereignty: Respect for national rights to data.
A – Accessible and inclusive: AI should not be proprietary.
V – Valid and legal: AI must be law-abiding and verifiable.
MANAV, meaning “human,” provides principles that anchor AI to human values in the 21st century. Trust is the foundation for the future of AI.
As generative systems flood the world with content, democracies face risks from deepfakes and disinformation.
Just like food has nutrition labels, digital content should also have authenticity labels.
I urge the global community to come together and create common standards for watermarking and source verification.
India has already taken a step in this direction by legally mandating that synthetically generated content be clearly labeled.
Children’s welfare is an issue close to our hearts. AI systems must be built with safeguards that encourage responsible, family-led engagement, reflecting the same care we have for education systems around the world.
Technology provides the greatest benefit when it is shared, rather than protected as a strategic asset.
Open platforms help millions of young people contribute to making technology safer and more human-centric.
This collective intelligence is humanity’s greatest strength. AI needs to evolve as a global common good.
We are entering an era in which humans and intelligent systems co-create, co-work, and co-evolve. There will be entirely new professions.
When the Internet started, no one could have imagined its possibilities. It will ultimately create a huge number of new opportunities, and AI will be no different.
I believe that empowered youth will be the true champions of the AI era. We encourage upskilling, reskilling and lifelong learning with one of the world’s largest and most diverse upskilling programmes.
India is home to the world’s largest youth population and technology talent pool. With our energy capabilities and clear direction, we are uniquely positioned to harness the full potential of AI.
At this summit, we were proud to see Indian companies present their own AI models and applications, reflecting the technical depth of our young innovation community.
We are building a robust infrastructure foundation to foster the growth of the AI ecosystem. Under India AI Mission, we have deployed thousands of GPUs and will soon deploy many more.
Access to world-class computing power at very affordable rates can help even the smallest startup become a global player.
Additionally, we established a national AI repository and democratized access to datasets and AI models.
From semiconductors and data infrastructure to vibrant startups and applied research, we focus on the entire value chain.
India’s diversity, democracy and demographics provide a suitable environment for inclusive innovation.
Solutions that succeed in India can benefit humanity everywhere. That is why we propose to the world ‘Design and Develop in India’. Deliver it to the world. Deliver it to humanity. — Bernama
(Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of India.)
–The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of BERNAMA.
