India pitch at AI impact summit 2026: Democratising AI, respecting sovereignty

As part of its key deliverables post the India AI Impact Summit, Delhi is likely to push for more “democratised” use of AI. A key focus is likely on affordability and access to the technology, a move which government officials say will counter the general direction of AI development in the West, where AI development is concentrated in the hands of a few companies and individuals. “The pitch is in line with India’s G20 narrative, and a way in which Delhi wants to assert its dominance in the Global South. We want to show that we speak in the interest of the region,” a senior government official said, speaking to The Indian Express on condition of anonymity. India is expected to reiterate its long standing insistence that AI needs international cooperation and multi-stakeholder engagement across countries. However, such collaboration will take place while respecting national sovereignty. In the declaration for the AI Summit that Delhi is currently working on, India may also mention a charter for AI diffusion in a “democratic” way, the official said. This could be a voluntary and non-binding framework, but would focus primarily on “promoting access to foundational AI resources,” while “respecting national laws,” the official said. As such, promotion of open-source AI services are also likely to feature in the upcoming Delhi declaration, a signal which counters AI development in the West, where frontier models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini are proprietary services. “Open-source AI applications and other accessible AI approaches and wide-scale diffusion of AI use cases can contribute to scalability, replicability, and adaptability of AI systems across sectors,” the official said. India may endorse the development of a voluntary platform to facilitate exchange of learning, knowledge, and scalable practices to advance AI adoption for social empowerment. It could also recommend the creation of a platform to connect scientific communities and pool AI research capabilities across regions. India is also likely to nudge countries to recognise, in the declaration, the development of voluntary and non-binding “Trusted AI Commons,” a collaborative platform consolidating technical resources, tools, benchmarks and best practices that all can access and adapt to their contexts. Along with it, a “Global AI Impact Commons” could also be developed, which would be a voluntary initiative that provides a platform to encourage and enable the adoption, replication, and scale-up of successful AI use cases across regions. The official said that the key idea behind why Delhi would push for the democratising narrative is because the government sees AI having the potential to “genuinely uplift all sections of society by enabling individuals to access knowledge, cross-border AI solutions, information, services, opportunities and enhancing participation in social and economic activities”. India is also expected to address AI’s growing energy needs and is likely to insert language in the declaration reflecting the importance of developing energy efficient AI systems, and a redoubled focus on renewables to power this effort. Noting that the promise of AI would require equipping individuals with relevant skills by expanding AI human resource development, Delhi may also endorse specific initiatives on education, AI workforce development, training of public officials, enhancing public awareness of AI capabilities, increasing AI literacy as well as upgrading vocational and training ecosystems. There also could be voluntary guiding principles for reskilling and a playbook on AI workforce development. Soumyarendra Barik is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express, specializing in the complex and evolving intersection of technology, policy, and society. With over five years of newsroom experience, he is a key voice in documenting how digital transformations impact the daily lives of Indian citizens. Expertise & Focus Areas Barik’s reporting delves into the regulatory and human aspects of the tech world. His core areas of focus include: The Gig Economy: He extensively covers the rights and working conditions of gig workers in India. Tech Policy & Regulation: Analysis of policy interventions that impact Big Tech companies and the broader digital ecosystem. Digital Rights: Reporting on data privacy, internet freedom, and India's prevalent digital divide. Authoritativeness & On-Ground Reporting: Barik is known for his immersive and data-driven approach to journalism. A notable example of his commitment to authentic storytelling involves him tailing a food delivery worker for over 12 hours. This investigative piece quantified the meager earnings and physical toll involved in the profession, providing a verified, ground-level perspective often missing in tech reporting. Personal Interests Outside of the newsroom, Soumyarendra is a self-confessed nerd about horology (watches), follows Formula 1 racing closely, and is an avid football fan. Find all stories by Soumyarendra Barik here. ... Read More