India’s “AI for All” Vision Takes Center Stage in Delhi

Bharat Mandapam, India, Becomes Ground Zero for a New Global Tech Order

NEW DELHI — As global tech titans and world leaders converge at Bharat Mandapam for the India–AI Impact Summit 2026India is effectively positioning itself as the voice of the Global South. By hosting the first summit of its kind outside the Global North, New Delhi is challenging the digital duopoly of the US and China, proposing instead a “sovereign AI” model that prioritizes public good over proprietary control.

Breaking the Duopoly: AI as Public Infrastructure

India’s strategic approach hinges on its success with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)—the same philosophy behind the world-leading UPI payment system.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inaugurating the summit, emphasized that “AI should not be a tool for exclusion, but a bridge for inclusion.” India is advocating for a “Global AI Commons”—a shared pool of compute resources and datasets that would allow developing nations to build their own AI models without being beholden to “Big Tech” monopolies.

Regulation with “Teeth”

A central theme of the Delhi gathering is the urgent need for global standards to combat AI-driven harms. Following India’s recent legislative move to enforce a 3-hour takedown for illegal synthetic media, Indian policymakers are pushing for:

• Mandatory Watermarking: Universal labeling for all AI-generated audio and video.
• Algorithm Accountability: Frameworks that require tech giants to be transparent about the biases in their training data.
• Workforce Resilience: A global pact on “Human-in-the-loop” AI to ensure technology augments rather than replaces livelihoods in emerging economies.

The $100 Billion Opportunity

Beyond regulation, the summit is a massive commercial play. With the government offering a 21-year tax holiday for data centers and massive subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing, leaders from Nvidia, Microsoft, and OpenAI have already signaled record-breaking investment commitments.

“India isn’t just participating in the conversation; it is helping shape what comes next,” said Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon on the sidelines of the event.

Looking Ahead

The summit will conclude on February 20 with the GPAI (Global Partnership on AI) Council meetingwhere India hopes to secure a “Delhi Declaration” on responsible AI. The outcome will likely determine whether the future of technology remains a private club or becomes a truly global public utility.