India’s AI Summit in Delhi Puts Global South at Centre of Artificial Intelligence News
This week (Feb. 17, 2026 ET), New Delhi hosts the India-AI Impact Summit, a diplomatic and industry-heavy gathering that organisers frame as the first major international AI meeting held by a Global South nation. With participation expected from more than 100 countries, the summit aims to shift debate from narrow technical fixes to how artificial intelligence can be deployed for broad economic and social benefit.
Global South ambitions and geopolitical stakes
The summit is being cast as a moment for less-advantaged countries to steer the AI agenda rather than follow it. Delegates will press for commitments around capacity building, equitable access to compute and data, and frameworks that avoid locking low- and middle-income countries into second-tier roles as mere consumers of AI services.
For host policymakers, the event is an opportunity to showcase a national vision for homegrown AI development: attracting talent, nurturing startups and negotiating partnerships that keep value-added work within the country. That narrative is attractive to governments that want to avoid replication of past tech patterns in which innovation and high-paying roles concentrate in a handful of wealthy countries.
Economic pitch: growth, jobs and public services
Several national delegations plan to argue the summit should push AI toward concrete public-good outcomes. The talking points are familiar: accelerating diagnoses in healthcare, personalising education, streamlining local government services and generating new categories of employment. Proponents say the technology can be an engine for renewal—if matched with investment in skills and regulatory clarity.
One delegation will use the platform to press for AI’s role in unlocking private investment and creating jobs, citing sizable capital flows into national AI sectors in recent years. Officials plan to highlight partnerships between governments and technology firms as proof points, and to advocate for policies that steer commercial innovation toward measurable public benefits.
Industry interest is palpable. Large technology companies and major service firms have signalled that they view partnerships with countries in the Global South as both a commercial opportunity and a responsibility. Private investment, corporate partnerships and job-creation pledges are expected to feature prominently in announcements during the week.
Governance, capacity and the path ahead
Despite optimistic pitches, the summit must confront persistent hurdles. Policymakers and delegates will need to reconcile short-term commercial incentives with long-term societal risks such as bias, surveillance, and concentration of power. Practical questions loom: how to scale training programs, how to ensure data stewardship, and how to expand access to computing infrastructure without reinforcing existing inequalities.
Another central theme is governance. Delegates are likely to debate standards for safe AI deployment and the extent to which international cooperation can produce interoperable rules that respect different development priorities. For many countries in attendance, the priority is not only risk mitigation but the ability to participate competitively in a rapidly evolving global market for AI products and services.
For host-country leaders, the summit offers both diplomatic payoff and domestic policy pressure. Delivering on high-level promises will require follow-through: investment in education and upskilling, clearer procurement pathways for AI tools in government, and mechanisms to ensure that foreign investment translates into local capability rather than short-term jobs alone.
As the week unfolds, delegates and business leaders will test whether high-minded commitments translate into concrete programs and funding. At stake is more than prestige: the outcome could shape whether the Global South secures a meaningful stake in the next chapter of technological change—or is left on the sidelines as others set the rules and reap the rewards.
