Where is the final statement of India AI Impact Summit?
What's the story
The much-anticipated summit statement on global approaches to artificial intelligence (AI) is still pending, a day after its expected release at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier confirmed a "huge consensus" on the declaration but did not share any details. He said the statement already had over 70 signatories and was hopeful it would exceed 80.
International participation
Tens of thousands attended the summit
The AI Impact Summit, the fourth annual international meeting on generative AI and the first hosted by a developing country, drew tens of thousands of attendees. This included world leaders and top tech CEOs. The event was marred by complaints of poor organization with chaotic entry and exit points at the sprawling summit and expo venue.
Debates
Congress youth wing staged protest against PM Modi
The summit also witnessed a protest by a group claiming to be from the youth wing of opposition Congress party. They staged a shirtless protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi inside the venue. Despite these controversies, important discussions were held on topics such as multilingual AI translation's societal benefits, job disruption risks, and data centers' heavy electricity consumption.
Governance
Next AI summit scheduled for Geneva in 2027
The next AI summit is scheduled to take place in Geneva in 2027. Meanwhile, a UN panel on AI will work toward "science-led governance," as announced by UN chief Antonio Guterres. The head of the US delegation warned against centralized control of generative AI, stressing the challenges of achieving consensus.
Ambition
India aims to become global AI leader
India is using the summit to realize its ambition of becoming a global leader in AI, like the US and China. This includes building massive data centers and new nuclear power plants to power them. Delhi expects more than $200 billion in investments over the next two years, with US tech giants announcing several new deals and infrastructure projects in India this week.