The air is positively abuzz with anticipation as Delhi prepares to host a first of its kind global AI impact summit in India. Positioned by India’s Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw as a novel event that places India at the centre of the AI revolution, the AI impact summit is set to take place in Delhi from February 16 to 20.
The upcoming event is set to witness a rare assembly of over 20 heads of state, 50+ international ministers, and some of the world’s most powerful tech CEOs who will converge to discuss the summit’s three foundational pillars—the “Three Sutras”: People, Planet, and Progress.
AI Impact Summit 2026: Global leaders expected at the event
Some of the major tech leaders set to participate in the event include Sundar Pichai representing Google & Alphabet, Sam Altman (OpenAI), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind), Brad Smith (Microsoft), Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm), and Bill Gates (Gates Foundation)
Alongside tech leaders, a host of technology ministers, presidents, political leaders from some of the world’s most important economies are also expected to attend the event on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation.
1. Bhutan – Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister
2. Bolivia – Edmand Lara Montano, Vice President
3. Brazil – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President
4. Croatia – Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister
5. Estonia – Alar Karis, President
6. Finland – Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister
7. France – Emmanuel Macron, President
8. Greece – Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister
9. Guyana – Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, Vice President
10. Kazakhstan – Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister
11. Liechtenstein –Hereditary Prince Alois, Hereditary Prince of the Principality of Liechtenstein
12. Mauritius – Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam GCSK, FRCP, Prime Minister
13. Serbia – Aleksandar Vučić, President
14. Slovakia –Peter Pellegrini, President
15. Spain – Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, President
16. Sri Lanka – Anura Kumara Disanayaka, President
17. Seychelles – Sebastien Pillay, Vice President
18. Switzerland – Guy Parmelin, President
19. The Netherlands- Dick Schoof, Prime Minister
20. UAE – Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
In addition to the leaders mentioned above, ministerial delegations from over 45 countries are set to participate in the Summit.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Senior Officials from several International Organizations like International Monetary Fund, World Economic Forum, International Labour Organization are also expected to join the deliberations.
In terms of Indian entrepreneurs, Mukesh Ambani (RIL), Natarajan Chandrasekaran (Tata Sons), Nandan Nilekani (Infosys), Sunil Bharti Mittal (Bharti enterprises), K. Krithivasan (TCS) Salil Parekh (Infosys), and Roshni Nadar Malhotra (HCLTech) are expected to participate in the event
Special Delegations from multiple foreign public and corporate entities are also expected to attend the first of its kind Summit in India. The USISPF is bringing its largest-ever delegation of over 120 senior executives, co-chaired by Shantanu Narayen (Adobe) and Raj Subramaniam (FedEx).
AI Impact Summit 2026: Schedule and day specific highlights
The Government of India is aiming to make the AI Impact Summit 2026 as a ‘pivotal global platform’ to shape the future agenda for inclusive and impactful AI.
The summit will be structured around three core pillars of People, Planet and Progress and discussions will be focussed on skilling, sustainable and energy efficient AI, along with economic and social development.
With exhibitors from 30+ countries, the Expo presents a diverse landscape of AI applications bridging perspectives from government programmes, industry innovations, global research labs, and early-stage startups.
Over 700 sessions have been planned for five days on areas such as AI safety, governance, ethical use, data protection and India’s approach to sovereign AI. A brief itinerary containing the comprehensive schedule of the AI impact summit has been posted below
| Date | Focus Theme | Key Highlights | Venue |
| Feb 16 | Inaugural & Expo | Opening of the AI Impact Expo (840+ exhibitors); Keynotes framing national priorities and Global South representation. | Bharat Mandapam |
| Feb 17 | Applied AI | Launch of Knowledge Compendiums (Health, Agriculture, Education, Energy); “AI by HER” Global Impact Challenge. | Bharat Mandapam & Sushma Swaraj Bhawan |
| Feb 18 | Research & Innovation | Research Symposium featuring global pioneers; Industry sessions on scalable deployments; Official Summit Dinner. | Bharat Mandapam & Convention Centre |
| Feb 19 | Leaders’ Day | Formal Opening Ceremony by PM Narendra Modi; High-level CEO Roundtable with Sam Altman, Jensen Huang, and Indian Titans. | Bharat Mandapam |
| Feb 20 | Global Governance | GPAI Council Meeting; Adoption of the Leaders’ Declaration; Closing keynotes. | Bharat Mandapam |
With an expo featuring entries of some of the most innovative start-ups across 30+ countries and roundtable discussions involving the biggest voices in tech, the India AI impact summit is shaping up to be a much sought after affair. An event where public discussions between policymakers, educators, entrepreneurs and tech leaders are likely to draw out the bigger picture of the upcoming AI revolution.