India AI Summit 2026 LIVE: AI adoption requires commitment, won't 'just happen by drift', says CEA Nageswaran

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has extended its ‘UPI One World’ wallet work to planetary delegates attending the India AI Impact Summit 2026. This aviator inaugural is disposable to visitors from implicit 40 countries participating successful the acme held astatine Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 16-20 February.

The work allows inbound overseas travellers to execute real-time Person-to-Merchant (P2M) transactions crossed India without requiring a section slope relationship oregon an Indian mobile number.

Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran connected Monday (February 16, 2026) said AI adoption cannot conscionable hap by drift and requires a wide committedness to aligning technological adoption with wide employability.

In a virtual code to the AI Impact Summit 2026, Mr. Nageswaran said countries request to determination decisively by strengthening instauration oregon education, precocious prime skills, expanding labour-intensive work sectors, and removing the regulatory bottlenecks.

Adopting AI requires a collaborative approach, helium said, adding that it has to beryllium a ‘Team India’ effort, including the backstage assemblage and academics, arsenic good arsenic policymakers.

“The model is unfastened still, but it is not indefinite. We indispensable enactment and enactment now,” helium said, adding that determination is simply a request for urgency to follow AI.

- PTI

“India stands astatine the forefront of efforts to signifier a people-first, antiauthoritarian AI future. This is reflected successful the Summit’s theme, ‘Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya’ arsenic well,” Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan said arsenic the India AI-Impact Summit got nether mode connected February 16, 2026. 

India has the highest level of artificial quality (AI) accomplishment penetration and has adopted a argumentation attack of avoiding over-regulation to guarantee innovation thrives, Union Minister Jitin Prasada said connected Monday (February 16, 2026).

Speaking astatine a league successful the AI Impact Summit successful New Delhi, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology said the contiguous authorities is agile and listens to each ideas.

“We person maximum AI accomplishment penetration, we person gone up with the argumentation of ensuring not to over-regulate truthful that innovation thrives,” Mr. Prasada said, adding, “We are ensuring that GPU entree has been disposable arsenic acold arsenic imaginable astatine the cheapest cost”.

- PTI

The U.K.’s absorption during the AI Impact Summit acceptable to commencement successful New Delhi connected Monday (February 16, 2026) volition beryllium connected championing however artificial quality tin supercharge growth, unlock caller jobs, amended nationalist services and present benefits for radical astir the globe, the British authorities has said.

The U.K. delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and AI Minister Kanishka Narayan, is keen to item however AI tin amended mundane beingness successful each country of the world.

“This acme is an important infinitesimal successful determining however we tin enactment unneurotic with our planetary partners to unlock the afloat benefits and imaginable of AI, portion baking successful robust and just information standards that support america all,” said Mr. Lammy, successful a pre-summit statement.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi connected Monday (February 16, 2026) said India stands astatine the forefront of the artificial quality translation and its strides successful AI bespeak some ambition and responsibility.

In a station connected X, PM Modi said, “Bringing the satellite unneurotic to sermon AI! Starting today, India hosts the AI Impact Summit astatine Bharat Mandapam successful Delhi. I warmly invited satellite leaders, captains of industry, innovators, policymakers, researchers and tech enthusiasts from crossed the satellite for this Summit.”

The taxable of the acme is “Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya” oregon payment for all, happiness for all, reflecting our shared committedness to harnessing artificial quality for human-centric progress, helium said.

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Delhi Traffic Police connected Sunday issued an advisory for commuters up of the five-day India AI Impact Summit 2026, which begins connected Monday (February 16, 2026), and the CBSE Class 10 and 12 examinations, which commence connected Tuesday (February 17, 2026).

The advisory stated that postulation question volition beryllium restricted connected Bhairon Marg, excluding the Ring Road T-Point and Mathura Road, and connected respective different cardinal Delhi stretches, including Subramania Bharti Marg, Rajesh Pilot Marg, Tees January Marg, Akbar Road, and adjoining roads.

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According to a connection issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the AI Impact lawsuit volition diagnostic much than 3,000 speakers implicit 500 sessions and big much than 300 exhibitions and unrecorded demonstrations of AI exertion and startups, which are “structured crossed 3 thematic chakras — People, Planet and Progress”. 

The authorities hopes to pull much than 2.5 lakh visitors to the event, the connection said.

- The Hindu Bureau

The lawsuit kicks disconnected connected Monday (February 16, 2026) with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the “India AI Impact Expo 2026”, including pavilions from 13 different countries.

The lawsuit is being hosted from February 16 to 20 astatine the Bharat Mandapam analyzable successful Delhi wherever the G-20 Summit was hosted archetypal successful 2023. It marks the 4th AI Summit aft Summits successful the U.K., South Korea and France. Officials said it would beryllium showcased arsenic the archetypal clip the Summit connected the transformative effect and challenges from AI is hosted successful a Global South country.

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