Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said artificial intelligence must be democratised and become a tool for inclusion and empowerment, particularly for the Global South.Addressing the India AI Impact Summit, Modi said the expo is taking place in India, which represents one sixth of humanity, a country with the world’s largest young population and a hub of the largest tech talent pool.“Artificial intelligence marks a transformative chapter in human history. India is not just a part of the AI revolution, but is leading and shaping it,” he said in the presence of world leaders and CEOs of leading companies at the Summit. The Prime Minister said India not only builds technology but also adopts it at an unprecedented pace.Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron lauded India’s digital transformation and its pioneering role in technology governance during his address at Summit, describing the nation’s progress as a global benchmark. “India built something that no other country in the world has built. A digital identity for 1.4 billion people. A payment system that now processes 20 billion transactions every month. A health infrastructure that has issued 500 million digital health IDs. Here are the results. They call it the India Stack Open Interoperable Sovereign,” he noted.The six-day summit, which began on Monday, is themed “Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya” — meaning “welfare for all, happiness of all”. It marks the fourth annual international gathering focused on artificial intelligence, following previous editions held in the UK in 2023, South Korea in 2024, and France in 2025. — with AgenciesAI to solve real-world problems in the Global South: Microsoft president Brad SmithFebruary 19, 2026 2:34 pmIndia is one of the largest investment destinations for Microsoft as the company has announced plans to invest USD 50 billion by the end of this decade to expand artificial intelligence (AI) across the Global South, said Microsoft Vice-Chairman and President Brad Smith. He said that there is a need to harness private capital, investments from tech companies, and government funding to generate demand for the use of AI in the Global South. He emphasised the need to bring infrastructure to the Global South, and that includes data centres in computing, more connectivity and electricity. The Global South refers to nations that are either newly industrialised or developing. “We need to make AI as effective in every language as it is in English,” he said, adding, “we need to use AI in the Global South to solve the problems that matter to the global South”.AI companies carry a very significant responsibility: PM Modi at Leaders’ Plenary sessionFebruary 19, 2026 2:04 pmHe says AI’s global journey has a major role for Aspirational India; Understanding this responsibility, India is taking big steps.If we look at history, humanity converted every disruption into new opportunity; we have same opportunity and must convert it into progress: PMFebruary 19, 2026 1:09 pmHe says scope for unethical behaviour is limitless in AI and there is a need to expand framework of ethical behaviour and norms for it.We should come together to create a roadmap for responsible impact of AI: PM Modi at Leaders’ Plenary sessionFebruary 19, 2026 1:08 pm”I am confident AI Summit will play a pivotal role in building a human-centric and sensitive global AI ecosystem,” says PM Modi.Sam Altman hails India as global AI leader, predicts ‘new and better’ jobsFebruary 19, 2026 1:07 pmHighlighting India’s pivotal role in the global technological landscape, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that the country is currently leading the world in AI adoption and is poised to become one of the largest markets for the technology. He said that India is not just participating in the Artificial Intelligence revolution but leading it. Speaking to ANI at India AI Impact Summit 2026, Altman expressed his optimism regarding the nation’s digital trajectory, noting that the work happening within India’s tech ecosystem is “amazing” and currently setting a global pace.Implications of AI in India will be greater than in other countries: Adobe Chairman NarayenFebruary 19, 2026 1:05 pmThe implications of AI in India will be more significant than anywhere in the world over the next few years, given its large population, and the country can play a global leadership role in data, privacy and security, said Adobe Chairman and CEO Shantanu Narayen. India is better positioned than most other countries when it comes to democratising AI and making it available for the masses compared to other countries, Narayen said. “…in terms of the implications, the one is, given the number of people who use AI in India will be greater than anywhere in the world over a few years,” he said.India will be powerhouse for Artificial Intelligence across the world: Google DeepMind CEO Demis HassabisFebruary 19, 2026 1:03 pm”We are at threshold moment with Artificial General Intelligence on horizon,” he says.Healthcare, education, deep research, all areas will flourish with AI: Bharti Chairman Sunil MittalFebruary 19, 2026 1:01 pmSectors, including healthcare, education, deep research, and medical sciences, will flourish with the power of Artificial Intelligence, said Bharti Group Chairman Sunil Mittal. Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit, he said that AI is becoming an integral part of the company’s operations “We can talk about healthcare, education, deep research, medical sciences…all those areas will flourish on the back of this (AI). So from our company’s standpoint, AI is becoming a really integral part of how we operate or serve our customers, build our networks and manage our networks,” Mittal said.Jio with RIL will invest Rs 10 lakh crore over next 7 years starting this year, says Mukesh AmbaniFebruary 19, 2026 12:02 pmMukesh Ambani says his group will reduce cost of AI as it did with cost of mobile data.Best of AI is yet to come, AI can usher in an era of super abundance, says Mukesh AmbaniFebruary 19, 2026 11:50 amHe says world debating will AI concentrate power in hands of a few, or will it democratise opportunity for all. “World stands at a fork over AI, one path leading to scarce, expensive AI & controlled data, other ensures affordable, accessible AI,” says Ambani.AI firms, Indian innovators make ‘New Delhi Frontier AI Impact Commitments’: VaishnawFebruary 19, 2026 11:15 amFrontier AI companies, along with India’s own innovators, have committed to advancing understanding of real-world AI usage to support policies on various issues, including jobs, with multilingual and contextual evaluations under the ‘New Delhi Frontier AI Impact Commitments’, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. Announcing the outcome of India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, he said under the ‘New Delhi Frontier AI Impact Commitments’, “leading frontier AI companies, along with India’s own innovators such as Sarvam, Bharatjan, Yani and Soket, have come together to make a set of voluntary commitments that reflect a shared vision for inclusive and responsible AI”.Macron lauds India’s digital transformation, pioneering role in technology governanceFebruary 19, 2026 11:13 amFrench President Emmanuel Macron lauded India’s digital transformation and its pioneering role in technology governance during his address at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 today, describing the nation’s progress as a global benchmark. Macron emphasised that India has set a unique precedent that remains unmatched globally. “India built something that no other country in the world has built. A digital identity for 1.4 billion people. A payment system that now processes 20 billion transactions every month. A health infrastructure that has issued 500 million digital health IDs. Here are the results. They call it the India Stack Open Interoperable Sovereign,” he noted.India has central role to play amid challenges around AI’s potential misuse: Anthropic CEOFebruary 19, 2026 11:10 amIndia has a central role to play amid challenges around autonomous behaviour of AI models, their potential for being misused by individuals and governments, and for having the capability of economic displacement, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said. During his address at the Summit, Amodei said India has historically set a standard for the Global South, and has helped diffuse technology and humanitarian benefits through the Global South. He said advances in artificial intelligence over the past years have been “absolutely staggering”, as he reflected on the fourth global AI summit since the process began at Bletchley Park in 2023.PM Modi pitches for authenticity labels for AI content on the lines of nutrition labels on food packetsFebruary 19, 2026 10:59 am”Some people fear AI, some see the future in it. India sees future in AI,” says the PM. He says any AI model that succeeds in India can be deployed anywhere in the world.We believe AI can benefit only when it can be shared; we should make a resolve to develop AI as a global common good: PM ModiFebruary 19, 2026 10:58 amHe says deepfakes and fabricated content bring instability to open societies.PM Modi unveils ‘MANAV Vision’ for AI which encompasses moral and ethical systems, accountable governance and national sovereigntyFebruary 19, 2026 10:49 am”We must democratise AI. It must become a tool for inclusion and empowerment, particularly for the Global South,” says PM Modi.AI is a transformative power; if it strays away from its goals, it will lead to destruction and if used well, it will give solutions: PM ModiFebruary 19, 2026 10:45 amThe PM says welfare and happiness of all is our benchmark for AI. He says to ensure that humans don’t become a data point or raw material, we have to democratise AI. “We have to give an open sky to AI, but at the same time we have to keep the reins in our hands,” says PM Modi.India builds new technology and also adapts it rapidly: PM Modi at AI Impact SummitFebruary 19, 2026 10:36 amAddressing the Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the real question in not what AI can do in future, it is what can we do with AI in the present.Govt working to upskill, reskill IT talent amid AI challenges: VaishnawFebruary 19, 2026 10:33 amThe government is aware of the challenges that the Indian IT industry is facing due to artificial intelligence and is working with academia to upskill and reskill talents, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. During his welcome address at the inaugural session of India AI impact Summit 2026, Vaishnaw said that the Prime Minister, in the Union Budget, has announced a very big policy shift aimed at attracting world’s data to India, to reside in India, to be processed here and to deliver high-value services to the world. “We are also conscious of the challenges which are facing our IT industry and to mitigate it we are working with the industry and academia to upskill, reskill and to build a new talent pipeline for this new intelligence age,” Vaishnaw said.AI biggest platform shift of our lifetimes, India’s Vizag emerging as global AI hub: Google CEOFebruary 19, 2026 10:29 amGoogle CEO Sundar Pichai addressed the summit saying Artificial intelligence shows that nothing is impossible when humanity dreams big, and it represents the biggest platform shift of our lifetimes. Pichai highlighted India’s growing role in the global AI ecosystem and the emergence of Visakhapatnam as a global AI hub. He said it is remarkable to see Visakhapatnam, where Google has made a major investment, transform into a major centre for artificial intelligence as part of Google’s long-term investment in India. “Through Visakhapatnam, Vizag. I remember it being a quiet and modest coastal city brimming with potential. Now in that same city, Google is establishing a full-stack AI hub, part of our USD 15 billion infrastructure investment in India,” he said.Google establishing full-stack AI hub, part of our 15 billion USD investment in India: Sundar PichaiFebruary 19, 2026 10:28 amGoogle and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai delivered a keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 today, where he reflected on his personal journey and unveiled a major infrastructure commitment to India’s digital future. Addressing a distinguished audience at Bharat Mandapam, the Google chief reminisced about his student days to highlight the rapid transformation of the Indian landscape. “Prime Minister Modi and distinguished leaders, it’s wonderful to be back in India. Every time I visit, I’m struck by the pace of change, and today is no different. Back when I was a student, I often took the Coromandel Express train from Chennai up to IIT Kharagpur. To get there, we passed through Visakhapatnam. I remember it being a quiet and modest coastal city brimming with potential,” Pichai said. The CEO used this personal anecdote to draw a parallel with Google’s ambitious plans for the same city, which is now at the heart of the tech giant’s global AI strategy.No tech has me dreaming bigger than AI, we’re on cusp of hyper progress: Sundar PichaiFebruary 19, 2026 10:20 amAddressing the Summit, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said AI can solve some of the hardest problems in science. “No tech has me dreaming bigger than AI; we’re on cusp of hyper progress, new discoveries that can help emerging economies leapfrog.” He said we can’t allow digital divide to be AI divide, that means investing in computing infra and connectivity. “Artificial Intelligence will undeniably reshape workforce,” he added.PM Modi-Presidents Lula, Macron share warm bonhomie at India AI Impact SummitFebruary 19, 2026 9:53 amPrime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Bharat Mandapam today to deliver the keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. He was seen sharing a warm bonhomie moment with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Representing key voices of the Global South, the two leaders displayed a close personal rapport as they entered the venue together. PM Modi also shared a moment with French President Macron. This spirit of global cooperation was further visualised during a family photo session featuring the Prime Minister and visiting global dignitaries.Bill Gates to not deliver keynote addressFebruary 19, 2026 9:00 amMicrosoft founder Bill Gates will not deliver the keynote address at the summit ‘to ensure focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities’, according to the Gates Foundation.Key investment discussions to take place in the eveningFebruary 19, 2026 8:54 amPrime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the CEO roundtable, where he will meet senior executives of global technology giants. The discussions will focus on investment opportunities, supply chains, and several other key issues. https://www.Jattvibe.com/news/india/pm-modi-to-lay-out-indias-ai-vision-at-impact-summit-today