- 13 hours ago
In this episode of Newstrack, the focus is on the landmark AI Impact Summit 2026, which is held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
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00:00Hello everyone, this is NewsTrack and I'm Maria Shaquille.
00:02They say artificial intelligence is the future
00:05and that future is being shaped right here, right now
00:09at New Delhi's Bharat Mandapam.
00:12For the next few days, New Delhi is at the heart of global AI conversations
00:17as India hosts the AI Impact Summit.
00:22This summit isn't just about technology.
00:25It's about power, purpose and shaping the future.
00:30Through this gathering, India aims to highlight its real-world AI solutions
00:36and establish itself as a leading voice for the global south.
00:40And make no mistake, this is far from just another high-profile event.
00:46It's a statement of intent.
00:49India wants the world to see that it is not just a participant
00:54in the AI revolution, but a key architect,
00:58shaping its rules, standards and opportunities.
01:02From global leaders to top tech honchos,
01:07like Sam Altman and Sundar Pichai,
01:10the world has started to arrive in New Delhi,
01:12not just for innovation, but for inclusion, collaboration and influence.
01:18And to explain the summit, its vision and its potential impact in Delhi,
01:25we'll be joined by Abhishek Singh, CEO of India AI Mission.
01:31But before I bring him in, let's take a look at this report.
01:46The global spotlight is on India, hosting the AI Impact Summit 2026.
01:52Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Expo
01:57at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today.
01:59He visited various stalls at the venue and spoke with companies
02:03as well as startups participating in the expo.
02:06Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the AI Summit
02:09for bringing the world together and showcasing the capability of India's youth
02:14and our progress in science and technology.
02:19The five-day summit at Bharat Mandapam aims to shape
02:23how AI drives inclusive growth, governance and human development.
02:29World leaders, global tech firms, startups, policy makers and academia
02:35are gathering to shape a shared roadmap for the future of artificial intelligence.
02:41With over 2.5 lakh visitors, the summit positions India
02:46at the centre of the global AI conversation.
02:50For India, this is not a debate about the future of work.
02:55It is a decision about the future of growth, social stability and cohesion.
03:02We must act and act now.
03:04India AI Impact Expo 2026 will be held alongside the summit
03:11and serve as the national demonstration of AI in action.
03:16The expo will feature over 600 high-potentious startups
03:20and 13 country pavilions,
03:22showcased along the themes of people, planet and progress.
03:28More than 5,000 traffic policemen have been additionally deployed
03:32for the easy movement during AI Impact Summit
03:36that happens to be the five-day-long summit
03:39where world leaders for more than 20 nations
03:42and the participants from 45 countries
03:45and 2.5 lakh visitors are expected to be a part of this event.
03:51Global leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron,
03:56Brazilian President Lula de Silva,
03:58Spanish President Pedro Sanchez,
04:01Sri Lankan President Anura Dissanayaka
04:03and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi,
04:06Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nayan
04:08are participating in the summit.
04:11The UK and India have a very close relationship
04:13when it comes to technology.
04:14We have a fantastic base in the free trade agreement
04:17where countries both looking at two things.
04:19One, the adoption of AI to make sure we're spreading opportunity
04:22for people both across the UK and India.
04:24And secondly, as you say, the responsible adoption of AI.
04:28Unlike earlier AI meetings in the UK, South Korea and France
04:32that focused heavily on safety and regulation,
04:36India's summit seeks to place development
04:38and the global south at the centre of the AI conversation.
04:43With global technology leaders including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
04:47to Google CEO Sundar Pichai present at the summit,
04:50start-up companies will showcase their prowess
04:53in how AI can be used for security,
04:56to prevent street crimes in sports
04:59and even in medical procedures.
05:03As the first international AI summit of its kind
05:07being held in the global south,
05:08the summit positions India at the centre
05:11of amplifying the voices of developing nations
05:13in global AI governance.
05:30And joining me straight from Bharat Mandapam
05:33is Mr. Abhishek Singh, CEO of India AI Mission,
05:37someone who has conceptualized it and is now implementing it.
05:42Mr. Singh, close to 90% of the AI patents originate
05:46in the United States, Europe and China.
05:48Is India then sending a message that the global south
05:52will chart its own course
05:54and will democratize AI through this summit?
05:58I would not see it that way.
06:00What I would see is that India is showing what it is capable of.
06:04After all the patents that are created in the United States,
06:06many of it is contributed by people of Indian origin,
06:10people who have studied in India,
06:11India's talent has been part of that.
06:13So all the big companies,
06:14they do have their global capability centres in India.
06:17In fact, if you look at say Google DeepMind,
06:19they have a very strong centre in Bangalore,
06:22which has contributed to the development of Gemini
06:23and other products which are there.
06:25If you look at OpenAI or if you look at Microsoft,
06:29lots of Indian engineers have contributed to that.
06:31What we are saying is that,
06:32yes, there is an opportunity for Indian companies,
06:35there is an opportunity for Indian IT industry,
06:37there is an opportunity for Indian startups.
06:39The talent is there.
06:40If you make the right investment,
06:42India will also be able to play a role
06:44in the development of AI,
06:45in the deployment of AI,
06:46in building use cases
06:48and ensuring that LTPT investors
06:50also invest in Indian mines and Indian companies
06:53so that IP gets created in India.
06:56So Mr. Singh,
06:57can India then build world-class AI
06:59without relying on foreign chips,
07:01models and cloud infrastructure?
07:03And will this Delhi summit
07:05help open the way to a richer
07:08and perhaps more inclusive AI ecosystem?
07:12That is what is the intention.
07:14What we need to show is that
07:15while we do work with the global big tech companies,
07:18we do work with Frontier AI Lab,
07:20but the presence in companies like Sarvam
07:23has built a foundation model
07:24which is performing very well on all benchmarks
07:26as compared to other frontier labs.
07:29The capability is there.
07:30Today, there is one Sarvam.
07:32Tomorrow, there will be six such Sarvams.
07:34And if we keep on investing,
07:36if we keep on supporting Indian IT industry,
07:38Indian startups, Indian engineers,
07:39we will be able to compete with the best in the world.
07:42And the way Indian technology is developed,
07:44as we've seen in the example,
07:45digital public infrastructure,
07:47that it is not only developed for India,
07:48but it's developed for the global community.
07:51We do share with the global cloud.
07:52The global cloud looks at India with trust.
07:54So that is what we are trying to position ourselves to.
07:58You know, one may also ask
08:00that will summits of this nature in future
08:04be more about clones?
08:07And is artificial intelligence
08:09going to be at the cost of human jobs
08:12or perhaps opportunities?
08:15Not at all.
08:16In fact, every technology, when it has evolved,
08:18it has led to some jobs, of course,
08:20getting impacted, becoming obsolete,
08:21but many new opportunities coming in.
08:24So whether it was the internet
08:25or whether it was the automobile,
08:26every technology has led to creation of new jobs.
08:29So AI will also create new jobs,
08:31whether it's in the field of data science,
08:34data analytics, or agentic AI,
08:37or age AI, or physical AI,
08:38this whole thing about building
08:40AI transformation services.
08:42So the opportunity of India
08:44is that given our technology progress,
08:46given our talent progress,
08:47that we can play a big role
08:49in building AI transformation services
08:51for not only India,
08:52but for the whole world.
08:54So that's what we are looking at.
08:55And then the jobs that we created,
08:57it will require,
08:58it's not that it will automatically come to us.
09:00We'll need to invest a lot in skilling.
09:02We'll need to invest a lot in re-skilling.
09:03We'll need to provide opportunities
09:05to Indian youth
09:06who can acquire these skills
09:10and who can be at the forefront.
09:12We'll see, for example, robotics.
09:14Robotics in India,
09:15because of the large population,
09:16we don't need robots.
09:17But there are countries in the West
09:19who are looking at robots and assessment.
09:21But can India become
09:22a manufacturing way to a robot?
09:24And if that becomes,
09:25and if we are pushed
09:26by the government on manufacturing sector,
09:28if we're able to occupy
09:30a piece of that cake,
09:32it will mean a lot for our economy
09:34and for creation of jobs.
09:38Top tech honchos
09:39have started arriving in India.
09:41And perhaps over the next few days,
09:43there'll be interesting conversations
09:44with regards to privacy, deep fakes.
09:47Do you think regulation
09:48is one idea
09:50which will be certainly
09:51dominating this entire space, sir?
09:54See, at every such conference,
09:57when we look at the opportunities,
09:58we also look at the risks.
10:01And in fact,
10:01the genesis of the AI Summit
10:03started in 23.
10:05At that time,
10:05it was the prime issue
10:07of safety and security.
10:08While we have moved on
10:10from what we were at,
10:11Bletchley Park,
10:12and we are looking at
10:12other dimensions
10:13about the potential,
10:15about the opportunity,
10:16about what it can do
10:17to transform lives
10:19and impact people.
10:21But it's not that
10:22the discussions
10:22about safety and security
10:24have diminished.
10:25Those remain on the agenda,
10:27the issues of risk,
10:28the issues of deep fakes,
10:29the issues of
10:30labeling AI-generated content,
10:32the issues of reducing harm
10:34that can be caused by AI,
10:35they also will be discussed
10:37at the summit.
10:37We are getting the best
10:39of the experts
10:39from across the world
10:40who have been working
10:41in this dimension.
10:43There are some research scholars
10:44who are presenting papers on this.
10:46There are companies
10:47who will say
10:48what they are doing
10:49to make AI safe,
10:50they can be trusted.
10:51At the same time,
10:52governments also have adopted
10:54different means to do that.
10:55India has its own legal provisions
10:57for regulating AI.
10:59Europe has its own.
11:00So all of this
11:01will be discussed
11:02to come out
11:02with a common framework
11:04which works
11:05for the entire global community.
11:07My last question to you
11:08as you go ahead
11:09and plan the next few days,
11:11you have been
11:12a very, very busy man.
11:13So I really appreciate
11:14that you joined us
11:15to give us an overview
11:16of what should we be expecting
11:18because today was the day
11:19in which the Prime Minister
11:21inaugurated the Expo
11:23at Bharat Mandapam.
11:24Tomorrow onwards,
11:25multiple conferences
11:26will be held
11:28on the sidelines,
11:29including on 18th,
11:31the AI summit
11:31that India Today is hosting
11:33where we hope
11:34to see you as well, sir.
11:35Where do you think
11:36the big ideas
11:38will be shared?
11:39You know,
11:39because all eyes
11:41will be on multiple conversations,
11:44the fireside chats
11:45and as much as
11:46the keynote addresses
11:47of the several,
11:49you know,
11:50the magnificent seven
11:51who are all
11:51going to be in India
11:52in the next 24 hours.
11:54But I must say
11:55that while the attention,
11:56the media attention
11:57and the hype
11:57is about the top CEOs
11:59and the fireside chats
12:00and their keynotes
12:01and what they will say,
12:03but if you look
12:04at the conversation
12:04that happened today,
12:06in every room,
12:07every panel
12:08that we had today
12:09was oversubscribed.
12:11The conversations
12:12were top class.
12:13The kind of intervention,
12:14the kind of ideas
12:15that were shared
12:16was totally
12:17best of its class.
12:19And in fact,
12:20not only the physical rooms
12:21were occupied,
12:23in my busy schedule,
12:24I tried to join in
12:25on one of the sessions
12:26which was live.
12:27All our sessions
12:28are live on YouTube.
12:29I logged into
12:30one of the sessions.
12:31I was surprised
12:32to see 11,000 people
12:34who had joined online
12:37on that particular session.
12:38So that's the kind of reach
12:40this summit is happening
12:41and that's the quality
12:42of discussions
12:43we are having.
12:45So while,
12:45of course,
12:46the keynotes
12:46and the fireside chats,
12:48the magnificent seven
12:49or the top seven
12:49of the star speakers
12:50are a big draw
12:52for the audience,
12:52but I would urge everyone
12:54that those who are able
12:55to come
12:56and manage
12:57the overflowing crowd
13:01that we have,
13:02they should also look
13:03at the other sessions
13:04and the panels
13:04that they are having
13:05and if you are not able
13:06to walk in
13:07and if you are not able
13:08to get a seat
13:09in the room,
13:10please join online
13:11because the sessions online
13:12are of top class
13:13and very good quality.
13:15We are oversubscribed
13:16so I would appeal
13:18to people
13:18that if it's possible,
13:20if it's becoming difficult
13:21to get in
13:21because of the numbers,
13:23please join online
13:23because the quality
13:24of the learning
13:25will be of the same quality
13:27as you come here.
13:29Abhishek Ji,
13:29pleasure speaking to you.
13:30Thank you for your time
13:32here on India today
13:33and wishing you all the best
13:34and wishing our country
13:36and the entire India mission
13:37a lot of success
13:39over the next few days.
13:42It is a pleasure, Anki.
13:43I must thank you all also
13:44for the Impact Summit
13:46and sending the right messages
13:47to all audiences.
13:48Thanks a lot.
13:50And last week,
13:51I spoke to the founder
13:53and CEO of Vinay Systems
13:54former CEO of Infosys,
13:58Vishal Sikka,
13:59about the power,
14:00promise and peril of AI.
14:02I'm leaving you
14:02with this exclusive conversation.
14:04Thank you for watching NewsTrack.
14:13In 2026,
14:14the biggest conversations
14:15are happening around AI
14:17and joining me now
14:19is Vishal Sikka,
14:20a renowned technology leader
14:22and entrepreneur,
14:23best known for his work
14:25in artificial intelligence
14:26and enterprise software.
14:28He has served as the CEO
14:30of Infosys
14:30and was previously
14:31a key executive at SAP,
14:34where he drove innovation
14:35in AI and machine learning.
14:38And currently,
14:38Mr. Sikka is the founder
14:39and CEO of Vinay Systems,
14:42a company which is focused
14:44on human-centered AI solutions
14:46for businesses.
14:47And his vision is
14:50responsible AI
14:52that augments human capabilities
14:54rather than replacing them.
14:56He's joining me from California.
14:58Dr. Sikka,
14:59really appreciate your time.
15:00How do you see
15:02human-centered AI
15:04shaping the future
15:06of technology?
15:08And what role
15:09does empathy
15:10play in AI design?
15:14Oh, that's a great question.
15:16I think,
15:19you know,
15:20humanity has always built tools.
15:22We have always built tools
15:24for ourselves.
15:26In Chennai,
15:28just about 100 kilometers
15:29north of Chennai,
15:31they recently found
15:32tools that were
15:34almost 300,000 years old,
15:373 lakh years old.
15:39So people have been
15:40building tools
15:41for a long time.
15:43AI,
15:43generative AI,
15:44is the latest
15:45powerful tool
15:47that we have built
15:47for ourselves.
15:49And these tools
15:50really,
15:53they really help
15:54and they really get
15:55to their full potential
15:56when they amplify
15:58our abilities,
15:59when they make us
16:01more human,
16:02when they make us
16:02be able to do more
16:04than we are able
16:05to do with our senses.
16:08And I see AI
16:09as the latest
16:11in, you know,
16:12one of these
16:13powerful tools
16:13that we have built.
16:14and to your question
16:16about empathy,
16:17I think
16:19the tools
16:20become a part of us.
16:22I was talking
16:22to a friend of mine
16:23in Berlin yesterday
16:24and there was
16:25a massive power
16:26outage in some
16:27parts of Berlin
16:28a couple of weeks ago
16:31and he was telling me
16:33that in the freezing cold
16:34you suddenly realize
16:35the power of electricity,
16:37the value of electricity.
16:39And, you know,
16:40we just,
16:40otherwise we take it
16:41for granted,
16:42we use it.
16:42Like in Delhi,
16:43you know,
16:43with the air quality
16:44you see that
16:45suddenly when you're
16:47indoors
16:47there are air
16:48purifiers working.
16:49So I think that
16:50systems that are
16:52designed
16:52around human needs,
16:55they tend to be
16:57the ones that
16:57become really
16:58a part of us.
17:00So empathy,
17:01not just human
17:02to human empathy,
17:03but building tools
17:04that are empathetic
17:05to humans,
17:06to our needs
17:08and wants,
17:09to our,
17:09how we are,
17:11is fundamental
17:12to AI
17:13and we are still
17:14in very early
17:14stages of this.
17:16You know,
17:17Dr. Sikka,
17:17advancements are
17:18happening across
17:19the world.
17:20In India,
17:21an important summit
17:22will be happening
17:23in mid-February.
17:25You'll be,
17:25you are among
17:27the keynote speakers
17:29how do you look
17:30at the advancements
17:31or curiosity
17:33or innovation
17:34with regards
17:36to AI
17:37vis-a-vis India
17:38and Indian
17:39companies?
17:41I think India
17:42is already,
17:42as you will see
17:43in the summit,
17:44I'm really excited
17:44about it.
17:45I think the summit
17:46will be a great
17:47showcase
17:47of how we are
17:49using AI
17:50in India
17:50across the layers
17:52of the stack
17:53all the way
17:54from building
17:54the semiconductors
17:55to making
17:57the semiconductors
17:58and the AI
17:58systems available
17:59to people
18:00to building
18:01our own models
18:02to building
18:03the applications
18:04on those models
18:05to building
18:06the skills
18:06around the models.
18:09Across the whole
18:10stack of AI,
18:12you will see
18:13how much
18:15progress
18:15is being made,
18:16how much
18:17amazing work
18:18is happening
18:20and many aspects
18:21of this
18:22will be celebrated
18:24and I'm really
18:24looking forward
18:25to that.
18:25For example,
18:27how the young
18:27people,
18:28there is a
18:29particular theme
18:31called UI,
18:32UI AI,
18:34which I'm really
18:35looking forward
18:36to learning more
18:37about,
18:38how the young
18:39people are using
18:39AI.
18:40So I think it is
18:41going to be
18:41a huge celebration
18:42and,
18:44you know,
18:45there are,
18:45it is still very
18:46early in the
18:47journey of AI.
18:48We tend to think
18:51that somehow
18:52we are far
18:53behind and all
18:53that,
18:54but I think
18:54that there is
18:55still a long
18:56way to go
18:56and we have
18:59to keep making
19:00progress on
19:00every one of
19:01these fronts.
19:04But I think
19:05there is also
19:06going to be a
19:06great opportunity
19:07for us to learn
19:08from others
19:08because people
19:10from all aspects
19:11of AI from
19:11around the world
19:12are coming to
19:13the summit.
19:14So this is
19:14just going to
19:15be a wonderful
19:17mingling of
19:18AI talent
19:19across India
19:21and from
19:21across the world.
19:23One aspect,
19:23Dr. Sikha,
19:24of AI,
19:25or should I
19:26say rapid
19:26advancement
19:27of AI
19:28has been
19:29in the
19:29domain of
19:30ethics.
19:31How do you
19:31balance
19:32innovation
19:33with ethical
19:33considerations
19:34and also
19:35regulation
19:36or to make
19:37it regulatory
19:38compliant
19:39with the
19:40rules of
19:41a particular
19:41country?
19:43So my
19:44view on it
19:45is that
19:46we need
19:47more work
19:49around
19:50regulation.
19:51We need
19:51more work
19:52around ethics.
19:53You know,
19:53I'm sitting
19:54in this
19:54room and
19:55I'm comfortable
19:56that this
19:56roof is not
19:57going to
19:57fall on my
19:58head because
19:59of regulation,
19:59because of
20:00the way
20:01systems are
20:01engineered.
20:02And AI
20:03today has
20:04certain basic
20:05limitations at
20:07its very core.
20:08For example,
20:08hallucination
20:09happens to be
20:10one of these
20:11core limitations.
20:12AI systems
20:13hallucinate all
20:14the time and
20:15they don't know
20:15when they
20:16hallucinate.
20:17So when we
20:18are faced with
20:18a technology
20:19like that,
20:19but obviously
20:20it is an
20:20incredibly powerful
20:21technology as
20:22well, so how
20:23do you make
20:24sure that we
20:27advance it in
20:28the right way?
20:28How do we
20:29make sure that
20:30it is doing
20:30what it is
20:31supposed to
20:31do, how it
20:32is working as
20:33intended, the
20:34negative effects
20:35of it, especially
20:36around, you
20:38know, the
20:39parts of the
20:40society that
20:40need help are
20:42managed in the
20:43right way?
20:46I think there
20:47is still a lot
20:48more work that
20:48needs to happen
20:49all the way
20:50from bias in
20:52the data to
20:54understanding how
20:55the training
20:56algorithms, how
20:57the models that
20:58are built
21:00reflect the
21:01correct ethical
21:02standards.
21:03And every
21:04country has
21:05different rules,
21:06different standards
21:08that they work
21:08with, to
21:09ensure that
21:10those are all
21:11captured in
21:12the models, or
21:14the system
21:14builders who
21:15are using the
21:15models to build
21:16their systems, are
21:18also able to, you
21:19know, put the
21:19appropriate guard
21:20rails around
21:21that, how the
21:22government works
21:23on that.
21:24I think these are
21:25all things that
21:26are still, you
21:29know, because of
21:29the rapid advances,
21:30these are areas
21:31that are sometimes
21:32they lag, and
21:34these are things
21:34that we need to
21:35focus on.
21:36I feel that our
21:38government is
21:39among the most
21:40advanced in their
21:42understanding of
21:43AI.
21:45Generally, the
21:45commercial enterprise
21:46tends to get
21:47ahead of
21:49regulation and
21:51of government.
21:52And I feel that
21:53in India, we
21:54have a,
21:56fortunately, we
21:58have a government
21:58that is really
21:59very on top of
22:02these things, and
22:03all aspects of
22:04this are
22:06worked on, and
22:07so I feel better
22:08about that.
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