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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 872
TO BE ANSWERED ON: 06.02.2026
AI IMPACT SUMMIT 2026
872. SHRI KARTIKEYA SHARMA:
Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the India Artificial Intelligence (AI) Impact Summit 2026 which is scheduled to
be held in February 26;
(b) the manner in which the summit will strengthen the AI ecosystem in the country and support
AI Startups;
(c) the total number of pre-event and in-event sessions planned, major AI companies participating
and global audience for the event; and
(d) the total number of AI based Startups in the country and how does this number compare to
other countries?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI JITIN PRASADA)
(a) to (c): In line with Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision, the Government is
democratising the development and usage of technology. The focus is using Artificial Intelligence
(AI) for solving real-world problems and ultimately improving lives across various sectors.
Recognizing its importance, the Government of India is working closely with international
partners, industry, academia and States to promote responsible and inclusive use of AI.
India - AI Impact Summit 2026
India is hosting the India–AI Impact Summit 2026 from 16th – 20th February 2026 at New Delhi.
For the first time, the global AI summit series will take place in the Global South. The shift signals
a broader move toward a more inclusive global AI dialogue.
Seven ‘Chakras’
The thematic priorities of the Summit, referred to as the seven ‘Chakras’, underline its key
objectives. These include Human Capital, Inclusion, Safe & Trusted AI, Resilience, Innovation
and Efficiency, Democratizing AI Resources, and AI for Economic Development and Social Good.
The Summit features a multi-day program designed to enable strategic dialogue, knowledge
exchange and stakeholder engagement. The program includes AI Expo, Research Symposium as
well as various roundtables, keynotes panel discussions, among others to showcase regional and
global Al initiatives.The summit is designed to strengthen India’s AI ecosystem by creating platforms to showcase
Indian AI initiatives, sector-specific use cases and institutional approaches, while also enabling
peer learning, feedback and international benchmarking.
The summit process includes Pre-Summit Events, Regional AI Conferences and the Main Summit.
The Main Summit features five-day program designed to enable strategic dialogue, knowledge
exchange and stakeholder engagement. The program includes AI Expo, Research Symposium,
Innovation Challenges, as well as various roundtables, keynotes panel discussions, among others
to showcase regional and global Al initiatives.
More than 500 pre-summit events have been conducted, including over 90 international events.
In addition, more than 500 sessions are planned during the main summit at Bharat Mandapam,
New Delhi, from 16th – 20th February 2026. More than 100 major AI companies are participating
in the Summit.
As of 02.02.2026, a total of 44,896 registrations have been recorded for the Summit, including
3,944 registrations from outside India.
Support for AI startups is proposed through initiatives such as the AI for ALL: Global Impact
Challenge and the AI by HER: Global Impact Challenge. These initiatives aim to identify
scalable and high-impact AI solutions, with selected entries to be showcased at the summit.
Further, the India AI Impact Expo 2026 is intended as a business-oriented platform to
demonstrate the transition of AI from research and pilot stages to large-scale deployment. The
Expo is expected to bring together innovators and investors and facilitate engagement on AI
solutions addressing sectoral and global challenges.
(d): The Government, under the Startup India Mission, has recognized 5,392 startups in the
Artificial Intelligence (AI) space.
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