STATE TIMES NEWS
- Theme of Summit: Welfare for All, Happiness of All
- Three key pillars of the Summit: People, Planet, and Progress
- PM to participate in Leader’s Plenary as well as CEO Roundtable
- PM to visit Country Pavilions at India AI Impact Expo 2026 along with other world leaders
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed world leaders, including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva, for the ongoing AI Impact Summit at the Bharat Mandapam convention centre here.
The world leaders, Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Disanayaka and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, were welcomed to an ensemble of traditional musical instruments, including drums, nadaswaram and tanpura, with the prime minister greeting them with a warm handshake and exchange of pleasantries.
Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic, Seychelles Vice President Sebastien Pillay, Estonia President Alar Karis, and Finland Prime Minister Petteri Orpo were among those welcomed by the Modi at the brightly decorated Bharat Mandapam.
Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Guyana Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo were also among the leaders welcomed by the prime minister. Being held from February 16-20, the AI Impact Summit brings together more than 500 global AI leaders, 150 academicians and researchers, and 400 chief technology officers, vice-presidents, and philanthropists.
On 19th February, the Prime Minister will participate in the Opening Ceremony of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at around 9:40 AM. Along with the Prime Minister, the Opening Ceremony will also be addressed by the President of France, Secretary-General of the United Nations as well as various top industry leaders from across the world.
This will be followed by a visit to the India AI Impact Expo 2026 along with other leaders at around 11 AM, where they will visit various country pavilions.
Prime Minister will then participate in the Leaders’ Plenary which will take place around 12 noon onwards. It will bring together Heads of State, ministers, and senior representatives from multilateral institutions to outline national and global priorities on AI, including governance, infrastructure, and international cooperation.
Thereafter, Prime Minister will participate in the CEO roundtable from 5:30 PM onwards. It will convene senior executives from global technology and industry firms with government leadership to discuss investment, research collaboration, supply chains, and deployment of AI systems.
The theme of India AI Impact Summit 2026 is ‘Welfare for All, Happiness of All’. It aims to position India as a leader in the field of AI and envisions a future where AI advances humanity, fosters inclusive growth, and safeguards our shared planet.
Seven Working Groups anchor the Summit, aligned to three pillars: People, Planet, and Progress. These groups will work on delivering concrete outcomes demonstrating AI’s impact across sectors. The seven themes are: AI for Economic Growth and Social Good; Democratizing AI Resources; Inclusion for Social Empowerment; Safe and Trusted AI; Human Capital; Science; Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency.
The Summit will bring together more than 500 Global AI Leaders, including CEOs/CXOs, around 100 CEOs and Founders, 150 Academicians and Researchers, and 400 CTOs, VPs, and Philanthropists. It will also engage over 100 government representatives, including more than 20 Heads of State and Government and around 60 Ministers and Vice Ministers.