Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the opening ceremony of the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam on Thursday, 19 February 2026. This summit has become the biggest platform to present India’s AI ecosystem to the world, where more than 2.5 lakh visitors and participants from more than 60 countries have arrived.
Special focus on India’s ‘Sovereign AI’ policy
The summit has started at around 9:40 am with the opening session, in which PM Modi is addressing the people. His speech is expected to have a special focus on India’s ‘Sovereign AI’ policy. That is, the development of AI should be such that it rests on domestic capabilities, but is also strengthened by global partnerships.
Many celebrities including Macron and Guterres present
French President Emmanuel Macron and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres will also be key speakers at the inauguration. The global importance of the summit and India’s role will become more clear from the keynote addresses of both the leaders. Macron’s presence is also special because many agreements have been signed between India and France recently on AI, defense and innovation.
PM Modi will visit AI Impact Expo
After the opening, PM Modi will visit the AI ​​Impact Expo at 11 am. Here he will visit the pavilions of different countries along with other world leaders and see India’s AI innovation closely. At around 12 noon, leaders will participate in the Plenary, where Heads of State, Ministers and senior people from multilateral institutions will discuss AI governance, infrastructure and international cooperation.
The Prime Minister will join the CEO roundtable from 5:30 pm. Here senior executives of global tech companies will talk with government leadership on investment, research collaboration, supply chain and deployment of AI systems.
There will be a rush of VIP guests in this event
The event included more than 500 AI leaders, including CEOs and CXOs, more than 100 founders and chief executives, 150 academics and researchers, nearly 400 CTOs, Vice Presidents and philanthropists. There are also more than 100 government representatives, including more than 20 heads of state and government and about 60 ministers and vice ministers.
This summit is not just tech talk. Here the focus is on using AI to solve real-world problems like agriculture, healthcare, education and governance. What is most resonating here is India’s ‘Sovereign AI’, which says that the control and data of AI should be in the hands of India, and not in the hands of any foreign company or government. PM Modi’s visit makes this summit even bigger. It is expected from his address that India will not only become a user in AI but will also become a leader.
