India to push for consensus on global AI governance norms at AI Summit 2026: MeitY Secretary S Krishnan

India will push for building a shared global understanding on artificial intelligence governance when it hosts the next AI Summit in February 2026, Union electronics and IT secretary S Krishnan said, as New Delhi positions itself as a key convenor in global technology policy discussions.

Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Krishnan said the government expects the summit to result in substantive outcomes, including knowledge frameworks and convergence on how countries approach AI. “We expect a lot of knowledge documents to be brought out as part of this output, and some kind of consensus to develop around the way forward on AI across different countries in the world,” he said.

India is expecting participation from more than 100 countries at the summit, which is being seen as one of the largest global platforms on AI governance and cooperation. Krishnan said several global leaders and top technology executives are likely to attend, underlining the scale and ambition of the event. “Bill Gates has confirmed his presence,” he said, adding that the CEOs of Anthropic and Adobe are also expected, along with many other senior corporate leaders. He said several participants have given tentative confirmations, with more clarity expected after the holiday season.

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At the political level, Krishnan said global leadership participation is also likely to be significant. “We expect the French president to be there,” he said, indicating the level of international engagement India is aiming for at the summit.

The MeitY secretary said groundwork for consensus-building is already underway through structured engagement with partner countries. According to him, seven dedicated working groups have been constituted and have already completed two rounds of meetings. “The working groups have been meeting… and we are engaged with our interlocutors from various countries,” Krishnan said, adding that he expects “some positive outcomes” from these discussions.