New Delhi: India’s much-publicized AI Impact Summit 2026, ongoing at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, has been projected as a landmark global event. However, human rights activists, technology experts, and civil society voices have criticized it as a spectacle prioritizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image over meaningful policy-making.
According to Global Mirror, the summit represents the fourth installment in a series of global AI governance meetings, following the UK-hosted AI Safety Summit in 2023, Seoul (Innovation), and Paris (Action). The current edition is dominated by government (around 40%) and Big Tech/industry players (35%), limiting independent debate or negotiation. With over 793 public events scheduled, the summit is being compared to a festival or expo rather than a focused policy forum.
Experts highlight the use of Sanskrit-derived terms like “sutras” and “chakras,” which they say reflect an attempt to blend Hindu nationalist ideology into tech policy. Critics also point out contradictions between India’s rhetoric of “AI for humanity” and the domestic reality, including AI-enabled surveillance, online censorship, hate speech amplification against minorities, and forced evictions of homeless people along summit access routes.
According to Global Mirror, the summit represents the fourth installment in a series of global AI governance meetings, following the UK-hosted AI Safety Summit in 2023, Seoul (Innovation), and Paris (Action). The current edition is dominated by government (around 40%) and Big Tech/industry players (35%), limiting independent debate or negotiation. With over 793 public events scheduled, the summit is being compared to a festival or expo rather than a focused policy forum.
Experts highlight the use of Sanskrit-derived terms like “sutras” and “chakras,” which they say reflect an attempt to blend Hindu nationalist ideology into tech policy. Critics also point out contradictions between India’s rhetoric of “AI for humanity” and the domestic reality, including AI-enabled surveillance, online censorship, hate speech amplification against minorities, and forced evictions of homeless people along summit access routes.