India AI Impact Summit 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will welcome world leaders on Thursday, 19 February, at Bharat Mandapam during the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The ceremony will begin after a ‘family photo’ of all top leaders at around 9.15 AM.
“The PM will participate in the Opening Ceremony of India AI Impact Summit 2026, which will start at around 9.40 AM,” news agency ANI said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the ceremony being attended by about 20 heads of states from across the globe, alongside policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and startup founders at around 10.25 AM, the agency said.
The event will also be addressed by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres and top industry leaders from across the world, according to news reports.
A stellar line-up of global tech and industry leaders is set to take the stage today at the summit, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani.
On Wednesday, PM Modi held nine bilateral meetings with world leaders and CEOs on the sidelines of the summit. Modi held seven meetings with leaders of countries, including Spain, Finland, Serbia, Croatia, Estonia, Kazakhstan and Bhutan, on the sidelines of the Summit. He also held two meetings with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is being held in Delhi from 16 February to 20 February, marking the first global AI Summit to be hosted in the Global South. The summit has attracted government policymakers, industry AI experts, academicians, technology innovators, and civil society representatives from across the world to advance global discussions on artificial intelligence.
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron, who is in India for the AI Summit, shared an AI-generated photograph with PM Modi on his official The text on the image read, “Yes, it is AI.”
Full Schedule for the day
-PM Modi will attend the Opening Ceremony of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at around 9:40 AM.
-At 11 AM, the Prime Minister will visit the India AI Impact Expo 2026 and tour various country pavilions with other leaders.
When friends connect, innovation follows.
-Leaders’ Plenary at noon to discuss AI governance, infrastructure and international cooperation.
-5:30 PM onwards, the PM will participate in a CEO roundtable on investment, research collaboration, supply chains, and AI deployment.

