Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday hailed the AI Impact Summit as a “grand success”, announcing that India has secured over $250 billion in infrastructure-related investment pledges and $20 billion in venture capital commitments for deep-tech sectors — figures he said are growing by the day.Calling it a “strong vote of global confidence” in India’s technological leadership, the minister underscored that the world increasingly trusts India’s role in shaping the future of artificial intelligence.Addressing the media at the Bharat Mandapam here, Vaishnaw said the details of the Delhi Declaration would be shared transparently after the AI summit concludes on Saturday.He said the summit witnessed phenomenal participation, with more than five lakh visitors attending the exhibition and engaging with global experts, startups and industry leaders.“Practically, every major AI player in the world participated in large numbers,” he said, highlighting the strong ministerial dialogues, leaders’ plenary sessions and bilateral meetings held during the event.Central to the discussions was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “MANAV AI” — artificial intelligence “of the humans, by the humans, for the humans”. According to Vaishnaw, the concept received widespread appreciation from international delegates, particularly for bringing responsible and ethical AI to the forefront. He added that 2.5 lakh students were involved in the initiative, earning a Guinness World Record for unprecedented student participation.The minister also announced that the government would soon launch AI Mission 2.0, promising it will be bigger and more ambitious than its predecessor. “Many goals of Mission 1.0 are on the verge of completion and several have already been exceeded,” he said. Against a target of 10,000 GPUs, the government has already secured 38,000, with another 20,000 set to be launched soon. Additionally, while one AI Safety Institute was initially planned, 12 institutes were now functioning in a collaborative network mode.Responding to protests by the Youth Congress during the summit, Vaishnaw thanked young participants for what he described as their positive endorsement of the event. He said attempts to disrupt the summit were “effectively rejected” by the youth, who viewed it as their platform to showcase innovation and opportunity. Immediate action was taken against those who tried to disrupt proceedings, he added.Reflecting on the criticism, Vaishnaw remarked that when “so many good things are happening”, it was unfortunate that isolated incidents were amplified. He described the episode as a personal learning experience and suggested that some political opponents fail to understand the aspirations of today’s youth.The minister said the AI Impact Summit has positioned India firmly at the centre of global AI conversations, combining investment momentum, policy leadership, startup innovation and youth participation under a unified national vision.