‘India AI Impact Summit 2026 will shape human-centric global AI ecosystem’: PM Modi at Leaders’ Plenary Session

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the India AI Impact Summit 2026 would play a defining role in shaping a human-centric and sensitive global artificial intelligence ecosystem, asserting that AI must remain a shared resource for the welfare of humanity.

Addressing the Leaders’ Plenary Session at the summit held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said history has shown that humanity has consistently transformed disruptions into opportunities. “Today presents another such moment to turn disruption into humanity’s greatest opportunity,” he remarked.

PM Modi recalled Lord Buddha’s teaching that “Right Action comes from Right Understanding,” stressing the importance of creating a roadmap that ensures AI’s positive impact through timely, well-intentioned, and correct decisions.

PM Modi emphasised that artificial intelligence must be accessible to all and not deepen global divides. He stressed that the priorities and aspirations of the Global South should be placed at the centre of AI governance.

Referring to India’s technological response during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said global cooperation had demonstrated how technology can serve humanity. He cited India’s digital vaccination platform, which enabled timely vaccination of millions, and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which ensured seamless online transactions and helped bridge the digital divide.

“In India, technology is not a medium of power but of service—not to dominate but to empower,” he said, adding that AI must follow the same direction to ensure global welfare.

Highlighting the growing influence of AI on human learning, intelligence and emotions, the Prime Minister said ethical standards must evolve alongside technological advancement. “With AI, the scope of unethical behaviour can be unlimited. Therefore, ethical norms must also be unlimited,” he said.

He underscored that AI companies must align profit with purpose and shoulder greater responsibility in ensuring responsible innovation.

To promote ethical AI use, PM Modi proposed three key measures:

• Trusted global data framework: AI training must respect data sovereignty and rely on secure, balanced and reliable data. He invoked the principle of “garbage in, garbage out” to stress the importance of data integrity.
• Transparent safety rules: AI platforms should adopt a “glass box” approach instead of operating as opaque “black boxes,” making safety rules clear and verifiable to ensure accountability.
• Embedding human values: AI systems must be guided by clear human values. Citing the “paper clip problem,” he warned that machines pursuing a single objective without ethical direction could cause unintended harm.

PM Modi said Aspirational India has a significant role in shaping the global AI journey and outlined steps being taken under the India AI Mission. He noted that 38,000 GPUs are currently available under the mission, with 24,000 more to be added within six months.

He added that India is providing startups access to world-class computing power at affordable rates and has launched AIKosh, the National Dataset Platform, which has already shared more than 7,500 datasets and 270 AI models as national resources.

Reiterating India’s vision, the Prime Minister said AI should drive innovation, strengthen inclusion and integrate human values. “When technology and human trust move together, the true impact of AI will be visible across the world,” he said.