Artificial Intelligence is shaping power structures, influencing economies, and, of course, redrawing alliances. That was the underlying tone at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, hosted under the India AI Mission in New Delhi.
Held at Bharat Mandapam, the six-day gathering positioned India not just as a participant in the AI race but as a significant contributor to it. The theme “Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya” translates to welfare for all, happiness for all. The message was clear: AI must serve people, not just profits.
Even with recent promises about AI, the ability to use powerful computers, skilled researchers, and advanced AI models is mostly held by a few countries and big companies. This imbalance, often described as the global AI divide, continues to widen.
India’s message at the summit was clear: AI should not remain exclusive. It must be accessible across languages, cultures, and income groups.
The India AI mission
At the centre of the summit was the India AI Mission, a national framework built around seven pillars: compute access, AI-Kosh (data), application development, innovation, future skills, startup financing, and safe and trusted AI.
The idea is to democratise access to computing, enhance data quality, develop indigenous AI capabilities, attract top AI talent, enable industry collaboration, provide startup risk capital, ensure socially impactful AI projects, and promote ethical AI.
India expects more than $200 billion in AI-related investments over the next two years, according to government projections.
The summit was a major diplomatic event, with over 20 heads of state and 500 AI leaders in attendance, including about 100 CEOs and founders.
A room full of global power
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the summit alongside Emmanuel Macron. Among the tech leaders present were Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Demis Hassabis, and Shantanu Narayen.
Prime Minister Modi framed AI as a tool for “human-centric progress.” He highlighted India’s digital public infrastructure and startup ecosystem as proof that the country is ready for the next phase of transformation.
“AI is the biggest platform shift of our lifetimes,” says Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google & Alphabet, calling it a chance for India to leapfrog old barriers and scale solutions globally.
NVIDIA is increasing its partnerships in India, focusing on the country’s growing AI ecosystem, which has attracted significant investments from major tech companies.
They announced that they are collaborating with venture capital firms such as Peak XV, Z47, Elevation Capital, Nexus Venture Partners, and Accel India to identify and support AI startups.
Sam Altman’s “no hand-holding” moment
After the inaugural ceremony at Bharat Mandapam, global tech leaders gathered on stage for a group photograph with the Prime Minister.
Leaders held hands and raised them as a symbol of unity. Standing next to Modi were Sundar Pichai and Sam Altman. Beside Altman stood Dario Amodei, once a senior executive at OpenAI, now leading Anthropic, a direct competitor.
As others held hands, Altman and Amodei appeared momentarily uncertain about the protocol. Instead of linking hands, the two eventually raised their fists.
However, Sam Altman clarified, saying he was confused and didn’t know what he was supposed to do.
“I didn’t know what was happening,” Altman said when asked about the moment. “I was sort of confused, like (Prime Minister) Modi grabbed my hand and put it up, and I just wasn’t sure what we were supposed to be doing. I thought it was the open clock.”
However, the moment didn’t escape social media.
Justine Moore, an investing partner at Andreessen Horowitz, tweeted: “When you’re forced to do a group project with your opp.”
Competition is heating up between OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and Anthropic, the creator of Claude, as both aim to have their models preferred by users worldwide. Recently, they’ve also exchanged criticisms regarding the possible inclusion of ads in AI models.
OpenAI is close to completing the first phase of a new financing round that could exceed $100 billion. If finalised, it would mark a record-breaking raise for the ChatGPT maker.
On the other hand, its rival, Anthropic, secured 30 billion in Series G funding, pushing its post-money valuation to $380 billion. The round was led by GIC and Coatue, with D. E. Shaw Ventures, Dragoneer, Founders Fund, ICONIQ, and MGX serving as co-leads.
