PM Narendra Modi welcomes global leaders to AI-India Impact Summit 2026

Global technology leaders have arrived in India for the mega AI-India Impact Summit in the national capital. The accompanying AI India Expo will be inaugurated later today by PM Narendra Modi at Bharat Mandapam.

Welcoming delegates in a post on X, the Prime Minister said it was a matter of pride that participants from across the world were attending the summit.

He credited India’s youth for driving technological advancement and noted that the event reflects the country’s rapid progress in science and technology, as well as its growing contribution to global development.

The India AI Impact Expo 2026, scheduled from February 16 to 20, is being held alongside the summit as a national showcase of artificial intelligence in action. Spread across 10 arenas and covering over 70,000 square metres, the Expo will bring together global tech firms, startups, academic institutions, research bodies, Union Ministries, State Governments and international partners on a single platform.

Thirteen country pavilions, including Australia, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan and several African nations, will spotlight international collaboration in the AI ecosystem. More than 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations are organised around three thematic “chakras”: People, Planet and Progress.

Over 600 high-potential startups are participating, many already deploying AI solutions at population scale. The event is expected to draw more than 2.5 lakh visitors and feature over 500 sessions with 3,250 speakers and panellists.

Billed as the first international AI summit hosted in the Global South, the gathering underscores India’s ambition to shape an inclusive and responsible AI future under the IndiaAI Mission, including the unveiling of 12 indigenous foundation models trained on datasets spanning 22 official languages.