People click on image in entrance of the nationwide flags of taking part nations in India AI Impact Summit 2026 which commenced on February 16, 2026, in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
After months of promotion as India’s flagship synthetic intelligence occasion, the five-day AI Impact Summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (February 16, 2026), drawing overwhelming crowds and packing Bharat Mandapam to capability as 1000’s thronged the venue.
Officials had extensively publicised the summit, internet hosting pre-event programmes throughout a number of Indian cities and overseas. Those efforts appeared to repay on Monday, with almost each accessible a part of the sprawling 100-acre advanced crammed with attendees. The dozen or so panel dialogue venues have been left with standing room solely.
“We have more than 2.5 lakh registrations,” Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S. Krishnan mentioned on the sidelines. “We’ve tried to make all the arrangements that we can; we never anticipated that there would be so many people willing and wanting to attend, which is why we did not restrict the registrations.” The authorities didn’t present total attendance figures. Entry to the occasion is free upon registration, and customer passes have been oversubscribed, Mr. Krishnan mentioned.
The summit featured over 100 occasions, excluding those who weren’t livestreamed. In the lengthy exhibition corridor advanced, over 400 cubicles have been lively, spanning trade, academia, startups, and world tech giants.
Logistical challenges
However, the occasion was not with out hitches—many attendees complained on-line about overcrowding, lengthy queues at meals courts, the place some distributors reportedly refused digital funds. Some shops ran out of elements and couldn’t restock shortly sufficient to fulfill calls for. Some guests mentioned consuming water was tough to entry.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the course of the inaugural occasion of AI Impact Expo 2026, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on February 16, 2026. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and MoS Jitin Prasada additionally current. Photo: DPR PMO/ANI
In the afternoon, components of the venue have been cleared for safety sanitisation, resulting in exhibitors being requested to vacate at quick discover. One exhibitor complained on-line that wearable units introduced for show have been stolen. Access to a number of areas was additionally restricted later within the day, leading to lengthy queues at entry and exit factors.
Novel preparations
There have been, nevertheless, some novel preparations. A fast-commerce platform arrange grocery and snack drop-off factors throughout Bharat Mandapam, whereas a web based meals ordering and supply firm facilitated meals deliveries inside the advanced. Digi Yatra, sometimes used for expedited airport entry, was piloted at entry gates, enabling attendees to make use of facial recognition for automated entry.
In a publish on X within the morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned, “The AI Impact Summit will enrich global discourse on diverse aspects of AI, such as innovation, collaboration, responsible use and more. I am confident that the outcomes of the summit will help shape a future that is progressive, innovative and opportunity-driven.”
Later within the afternoon, Mr. Modi visited the exhibition space, posting on X afterward that it was “a matter of immense pride for us that people from all over the world are coming to India for the India AI Impact Summit,” and that the “occasion is further proof that our country is progressing rapidly in the field of science and technology and is making an important contribution to global development.”
Mr. Modi is scheduled to handle the plenary session on Thursday, when the occasion can be closed to basic guests. Keynote audio system that day embody OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Microsoft president Brad Smith, and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.
While NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s extremely anticipated go to was cancelled over the weekend, it’s unclear if there have been every other cancellations. Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was pulled from a web based audio system’ record, however officers didn’t reply to queries on whether or not Mr. Gates, who was in Amaravati earlier on Monday, would lastly attend.
Published – February 16, 2026 09:53 pm IST