AI needs to be democratic for all, says PM Modi in keynote address at AI Impact Summit

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his keynote address at the AI Impact Summit 2026 on Thursday, spoke about artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications highlighting India’s vision of ensuring the democratisation of this technology to all its citizens.

“I welcome you all to the most historic AI Summit of the world. India is the centre of the world’s largest tech pool. It is a matter of pride for the Global South that the AI summit is being organised in India. When signals were first transmitted wirelessly, no one imagined that the entire world would one day be connected in real time. Artificial Intelligence is such a transformation of human history. What we are seeing today, what we are predicting, is just the beginning of its impact”, he said.

#WATCH | Delhi: At the #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “…India sees a strong future in AI. We have the talent, energy capacity, and policy clarity. I am pleased to inform you all that at this summit, three Indian companies have launched their AI… pic.twitter.com/GLwGz8249i

— ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2026

“Bharat looks at AI in beneficial way and that’s why we chose ‘Sarwajan Hitaye, Sarwajan Sukhaye’ as our theme. We need AI to be democratic for all, especially Global South. AI is making machines intelligent, but more than that, it is increasing human capabilities manyfold. There is only one difference: this time the speed is unprecedented and the scale is also unexpected. Earlier, the impact of technology used to take decades to be visible. Today, the journey from machine learning to learning machines is faster, deeper and wider than ever”, the PM added.

The Prime Minister highlighted how using AI sovereignly can help build a better nation and said that it was key to understand what we can do with AI in the present

“We have to have a big vision and shoulder an equally big responsibility. Along with the present generation, we also have to worry about what form of AI we will hand over to the coming generations. Therefore, the real question today is not what Artificial Intelligence can do in the future. The question is, what do we do with Artificial Intelligence in the present? Such questions have come before humanity before. The most powerful example is nuclear power. We have seen its destruction and its positive contribution has also been seen”, he said.

The Prime Minister underlined his vision saying that it was imperative to make AI Human centric to ensure the welfare of all

“AI is a transformative power. If directionless, it becomes a disruption; if the right direction is found, it becomes a solution. How to make AI from machine-centric to human-centric, how to make it sensitive and responsive, this is the basic objective of this Global AI Impact Summit. The theme of this summit clearly reflects the perspective from which India views AI. Welfare of all, the happiness of all. This is our benchmark…”

The India AI Impact Summit has brought together government policymakers, industry AI experts, academicians, technology innovators and civil society from across the world at New Delhi to advance global discussions on artificial intelligence.

The India AI Impact Summit, the first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South, reflects on the transformative potential of, AI aligning with the national vision of “Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya” (welfare for all, happiness for all) and global principle of AI for Humanity. This summit is part of an evolving international process aimed at strengthening global cooperation on the governance, safety, and societal impact of AI. (ANI)