What is the story about?
India is hosting the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi from February 16 to 20, bringing together political leaders, global technology executives, policymakers and researchers to shape international cooperation on artificial intelligence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the five-day summit at Bharat Mandapam, with the event structured around three core themes — People, Planet and Progress.
The summit is expected to feature plenary leadership sessions, closed-door policy roundtables, sector-specific AI showcases, startup exhibitions, and cross-border research collaborations. The government has positioned the summit as a platform to align AI innovation with social equity, sustainability and development priorities.
Who’s attending
At PM Modi’s invitation, leaders from 20 countries are scheduled to attend. Those expected include Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, French President Emmanuel Macron, Estonian President Alar Karis, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka, and Swiss President Guy Parmelin.
Prime ministers attending include Bhutan's Tshering Tobgay, Croatia’s Andrej Plenković, Finland’s Petteri Orpo, Greece’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Kazakhstan’s Olzhas Bektenov, Mauritius’ Navinchandra Ramgoolam, and Netherlands PM Dick Schoof.
Vice presidents from Bolivia, Guyana and Seychelles will also attend, along with UAE Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Liechtenstein’s Hereditary Prince Alois.
Ministerial delegations from over 45 countries, along with the UN Secretary-General and senior officials from global institutions, are also expected.
The summit is projected to host more than 35,000 registered participants from over 100 countries, making it one of the largest AI policy gatherings globally.
Tech leaders and industry
Among global technology executives slated to attend are Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, Bill Gates, Brad Smith, Cristiano Amon, Julie Sweet, Salil Parekh, Dario Amodei, and Alexandr Wang.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will not travel to India for the summit due to "unforeseen circumstances". Nvidia said a senior delegation led by executive vice president Jay Puri will represent the company.
Telecom and infrastructure leaders such as Ericsson’s Borje Ekholm, Schneider Electric’s Olivier Blum and Nokia’s Pallavi Mahajan are also expected to participate, underlining the link between AI, connectivity and digital infrastructure.
Access, facilities and services
The summit has tied up with DigiYatra for digital access, allowing registered visitors to use the platform for entry to the Expo and Mandapam.
UPI is also linking with international credit card networks to enable foreign delegates to make payments in India. Payments made via UPI will be backed by international credit cards, allowing visitors to transact seamlessly across merchants without requiring local bank accounts.
Quick commerce platforms Zepto and Swiggy will operate dark stores and cafes inside Bharat Mandapam, accessible through their apps and the official summit app.
The government is also attempting a Guinness World Record for the highest number of "Pledges for Responsible AI" collected between 8 am on February 16 and 8 am on February 17.
Registration, medical support and hotels
Authorities have clarified that there is no fee for registration or access, and reports of paid access badges or VIP passes are false.
Medical facilities, including emergency care and beds, will be provided by Apollo Hospitals at the venue.
Delhi’s hospitality sector had seen a sharp surge in demand, with luxury hotels largely sold out and room rates rising multiple times above usual levels as the city prepares to host more than 35,000 delegates from over 100 countries.
Traffic and security
With large-scale VVIP movement expected between the airport and Bharat Mandapam, the Delhi government will issue traffic advisories for the summit week.
Controlled zones will be enforced around Bharat Mandapam, Sushma Swaraj Bhawan and Hyderabad House, with signages guiding traffic movement.
Delhi Police has urged visitors to use the Metro, particularly the Supreme Court station, and will run shuttle services from JLN station.
Over 10,000 police personnel, including traffic and specialised units, will be deployed across the city, with nearly 5,000 dedicated to traffic management alone.
Multi-layered security arrangements will include anti-drone systems, surveillance grids, access control checkpoints and coordinated monitoring between central and Delhi Police units.
The Supreme Court has allowed lawyers to appear via video conferencing from February 16 to 20 due to anticipated congestion around its premises.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the five-day summit at Bharat Mandapam, with the event structured around three core themes — People, Planet and Progress.
The summit is expected to feature plenary leadership sessions, closed-door policy roundtables, sector-specific AI showcases, startup exhibitions, and cross-border research collaborations. The government has positioned the summit as a platform to align AI innovation with social equity, sustainability and development priorities.
Who’s attending
At PM Modi’s invitation, leaders from 20 countries are scheduled to attend. Those expected include Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, French President Emmanuel Macron, Estonian President Alar Karis, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka, and Swiss President Guy Parmelin.
Prime ministers attending include Bhutan's Tshering Tobgay, Croatia’s Andrej Plenković, Finland’s Petteri Orpo, Greece’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Kazakhstan’s Olzhas Bektenov, Mauritius’ Navinchandra Ramgoolam, and Netherlands PM Dick Schoof.
Vice presidents from Bolivia, Guyana and Seychelles will also attend, along with UAE Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Liechtenstein’s Hereditary Prince Alois.
Ministerial delegations from over 45 countries, along with the UN Secretary-General and senior officials from global institutions, are also expected.
The summit is projected to host more than 35,000 registered participants from over 100 countries, making it one of the largest AI policy gatherings globally.
Tech leaders and industry
Among global technology executives slated to attend are Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, Bill Gates, Brad Smith, Cristiano Amon, Julie Sweet, Salil Parekh, Dario Amodei, and Alexandr Wang.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will not travel to India for the summit due to "unforeseen circumstances". Nvidia said a senior delegation led by executive vice president Jay Puri will represent the company.
Telecom and infrastructure leaders such as Ericsson’s Borje Ekholm, Schneider Electric’s Olivier Blum and Nokia’s Pallavi Mahajan are also expected to participate, underlining the link between AI, connectivity and digital infrastructure.
Indian industry heavyweights expected include Mukesh Ambani, Nandan Nilekani, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, K Krithivasan, C Vijayakumar, Roshni Nadar Malhotra,
Ravi Kumar S, Rajesh Subramanian, Harshil Mathur, Kunal Bahl, Hemant Taneja, BVR Mohan Reddy, Dr Anand Deshpande, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Jeet Adani.
Access, facilities and services
The summit has tied up with DigiYatra for digital access, allowing registered visitors to use the platform for entry to the Expo and Mandapam.
UPI is also linking with international credit card networks to enable foreign delegates to make payments in India. Payments made via UPI will be backed by international credit cards, allowing visitors to transact seamlessly across merchants without requiring local bank accounts.
Quick commerce platforms Zepto and Swiggy will operate dark stores and cafes inside Bharat Mandapam, accessible through their apps and the official summit app.
The government is also attempting a Guinness World Record for the highest number of "Pledges for Responsible AI" collected between 8 am on February 16 and 8 am on February 17.
Registration, medical support and hotels
Authorities have clarified that there is no fee for registration or access, and reports of paid access badges or VIP passes are false.
Medical facilities, including emergency care and beds, will be provided by Apollo Hospitals at the venue.
Delhi’s hospitality sector had seen a sharp surge in demand, with luxury hotels largely sold out and room rates rising multiple times above usual levels as the city prepares to host more than 35,000 delegates from over 100 countries.
Traffic and security
With large-scale VVIP movement expected between the airport and Bharat Mandapam, the Delhi government will issue traffic advisories for the summit week.
Controlled zones will be enforced around Bharat Mandapam, Sushma Swaraj Bhawan and Hyderabad House, with signages guiding traffic movement.
Delhi Police has urged visitors to use the Metro, particularly the Supreme Court station, and will run shuttle services from JLN station.
Over 10,000 police personnel, including traffic and specialised units, will be deployed across the city, with nearly 5,000 dedicated to traffic management alone.
Multi-layered security arrangements will include anti-drone systems, surveillance grids, access control checkpoints and coordinated monitoring between central and Delhi Police units.
The Supreme Court has allowed lawyers to appear via video conferencing from February 16 to 20 due to anticipated congestion around its premises.
