'Matter of pride': Modi welcomes delegates to AI-India Summit 2026
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday welcomed global tech leaders to the AI-India Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. The event, which will be inaugurated by PM Modi later at 5:00pm, highlights India's growing influence in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). In a post on X, PM Modi expressed pride that people from around the world are coming to India for this summit. He said this reflects the potential of India's youth and their role in advancing technology.
Expo details
AI-India Impact Expo 2026
The AI-India Impact Expo 2026, which will run from February 16 to February 20, is a major part of the summit. It aims to be a national showcase of artificial intelligence in action, integrating policy, innovation, and large-scale implementation on one platform. The expo will take place over 10 arenas covering more than 70,000 square meters and host global tech companies, startups, and academia/research institutions, as well as Union ministries and state governments.
Global participation
Country pavilions at the expo
The expo will feature 13 country pavilions, showcasing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem. Participating countries include Australia, Japan, Russia, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan, and African nations. Over 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations will be held across three thematic "chakras," People, Planet, Progress, reflecting AI's broad-based impact on various sectors.
Summit highlights
India to launch foundation models
The Impact Summit, the first international AI summit in the Global South, will highlight New Delhi's ambition to shape an inclusive and impactful future for AI. As part of the IndiaAI Mission, India will launch 12 indigenous foundation models developed by homegrown startups and consortia. These models are trained on large Indian datasets and customized for all 22 official languages of the country.
Attendees
Which world leaders are attending
At the invitation of PM Modi, an impressive list of world leaders is scheduled to attend. Among those attending are France's President Emmanuel Macron, Spain's President Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon, Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Estonia's President Alar Karis, Slovakia's President Peter Pellegrini, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, Switzerland's President Guy Parmelin, and the Netherlands' Prime Minister Dick Schoof. Liechtenstein will be represented by Hereditary Prince Alois.