After drafting the original concept, I revisited it purely from a speech-delivery perspective, imagining how such ideas might be communicated on a world stage, not as a policy note but as a leader’s address to peers from across nations.
The version below reflects that exercise: the same core ideas, re-shaped for cadence, clarity and global resonance. It remains an independent, imaginative reconstruction, an attempt to think through how India’s AI story could be spoken to the world, rather than merely written.
Both versions are personal exercises in policy imagination and speechcraft, shared in the spirit of dialogue on India’s emerging role in global AI governance.
SP Tiwari
bhartiyasahitya@gmail.com
Global AI Impact Summit, New Delhi – 2026
Namaskar!
Your Excellencies,
Honourable Heads of States,
Distinguished leaders from industry and academia,
Innovators, thinkers,
And my dear friends from across the world,
On behalf of 140 crore Indians,
I warmly welcome you to New Delhi
for the Global AI Impact Summit 2026.
Friends,
today, when the world talks about
Artificial Intelligence — AI —
India speaks not from theory,
but from experience.
For us, AI is not a luxury.
It is not confined to laboratories or boardrooms.
In India, AI is already working —
in villages,
on farms,
in hospitals,
and in classrooms.
(Pause)
Recently, I met a doctor
in a remote tribal region of India.
Using a simple mobile phone,
an AI tool helped him detect tuberculosis
within minutes.
What earlier took weeks,
what earlier pushed poor families into debt,
was done instantly.
That patient is alive today.
Friends,
this is what AI means to India.
Not fancy robots. Not science fiction.
Real solutions — for real people.
(Pause)
Today, I am pleased to announce
that this AI model,
developed by Indian startups
under our IndiaAI Mission,
will be made open-source.
Free for the world.
Free to adapt.
Free to deploy.
Because India believes —
AI must serve humanity, not profit alone.
Friends,
last year, I had the honour
of co-chairing the Paris AI Action Summit
with my friend, President Macron.
Many commitments were made.
But India believes in something fundamental.
Commitments must lead to delivery.
Today, as we host
the first Global AI Summit in the Global South,
we move from dialogue to action.
From promises to proof.
This is not just another conference.
This is a defining moment for global AI governance.
Friends,
leaders often ask me —
“Modi ji,
how is India scaling AI with such speed and such scale?”
My answer is simple.
India’s diversity is its strength.
Multiple languages.
Multiple cultures.
Multiple challenges.
If AI can work for India, it can work for the world.
Let me briefly share what we have built.
IndiaAI Mission —
a ₹10,371 crore investment,
the largest government-led AI initiative in the Global South.
38,000 GPUs.
Sovereign AI compute infrastructure.
BHASHINI Platform —
AI services in multiple Indian languages, with voice-based access.
Because technology must speak the language of people.
AI-powered Digital Public Infrastructure —
Our Unified Payments Interface processes
over 13 billion transactions every month,
using AI for security and efficiency.
Shared with more than 100 countries.
No licensing fees. No conditions.
Friends,
This is the power of Digital Public Infrastructure —
inclusive, scalable, and trusted.
Trust, Safety and Smart Regulation
Friends,
Some believe regulation slows innovation.
India believes the opposite.
Smart regulation builds trust. And trust accelerates innovation.
India has enacted a strong data protection framework.
We are finalizing our AI Reliability and Safety Framework
based on four clear principles:
A risk-based approach.
Transparency by design.
Human oversight for critical decisions.
Respect for data sovereignty.
Is this framework perfect?
No.
But learning by doing is better than waiting endlessly.
And India is sharing this framework openly with the world.
Friends,
AI is the most powerful technology humanity has ever created.
It can heal.
It can educate.
It can protect our planet.
But without guardrails, it can divide societies,
concentrate power,and deepen inequalities.
So the real question before us is simple.
Will we control AI, or will AI control us?
This is why India has established the AI Safety Institute of India.
Today, I announce
India’s contribution of 100 million dollars
to a Global AI Safety Research Network.
Because —
Speed without safety is not progress.
(Pause)
Friends,
India’s vision is clear.
AI must reach the last mile.
AI must empower humans, not replace them.
AI must promote cooperation, not domination.
AI must remain open, while respecting sovereign choices.
And AI-driven disruption must not leave people behind.
This is not ideology.
This is practical governance, tested at the population scale.
Friends,
Today, New Delhi is not just hosting a summit.
New Delhi is offering a partnership.
We launch:
A Global AI Commons.
An International AI Safety and Ethics Council.
An AI for 10 Million global skilling initiative.
A One-Billion-Dollar Current AI Fund.
And the New Delhi Declaration on AI.
Every commitment will be monitored.
Every promise will be measured.
Friends,
India has always shared knowledge with the world.
From zero,
to yoga,
to the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam —
The world is one family.
Today, India offers a new model of AI.
AI for All. Not AI for Some.
The choice before us is historic.
India chooses inclusion.
India chooses cooperation.
India chooses responsibility.
And India stands ready to build this future — together with you.
I conclude with a thought from our ancient wisdom:
“Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya.”
From darkness, lead us to light.
Let AI be that light.
For everyone.
Everywhere.
Bharat
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
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