This week, Silicon Valley’s tech billionaires are set to arrive in Delhi for an AI summit organized by India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. This pivotal gathering will bring together leaders from the global south as they strive to steer the future of rapidly evolving technology.
AI Impact Summit Overview
During the week-long AI Impact Summit, thousands of tech executives, government officials, and AI safety experts will converge. Major tech companies, collectively valued in the trillions, will interact with leaders from countries like Kenya and Indonesia, where average monthly wages fall below $1,000.
Among the attendees are Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, and Dario Amodei, leading figures from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic, respectively. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former PM George Osborne are also set to advocate for enhanced AI integration. Sunak has accepted roles with Microsoft and Anthropic, while Osborne aims to expand the reach of ChatGPT beyond its current 800 million users.
Modi, who will speak at the summit on Thursday, is advocating for India to emerge as the AI hub for South Asia and Africa. Key topics will include the transformative potential of AI in sectors like agriculture, water management, and public health, with ministers from Kenya, Senegal, Mauritius, Togo, Indonesia, and Egypt in attendance.
Concerns About AI Surveillance
However, Modi’s enthusiasm for AI has raised alarms among civil liberties advocates. Recent reports highlighted fears that AI could be leveraged for state surveillance, discrimination against minorities, and manipulation of elections. Despite this, Modi expressed a vision of “harnessing artificial intelligence for human-centric progress,” stating the summit’s tagline: “Welfare for all, happiness for all.”
The Debate on AI Colonialism
Observers of the summit anticipate a clash between a new form of AI colonialism driven by U.S. tech firms and an alternative vision termed “techno-Gandhism,” wherein AI is utilized for social justice to aid marginalized communities. Following previous global AI summits in the UK, Korea, and France, this event marks the first of its kind to occur in the global south.
Indian commentators emphasize that AI’s true value lies not in its technological prowess, but in its ability to enhance the lives of individuals facing severe challenges in the global south. In contrast, U.S. AI companies are in intense competition for supremacy, deploying AI solutions primarily aimed at consumer shopping, personal companionship, and automated systems that could drastically reduce corporate labor costs by eliminating white-collar jobs.
António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, is set to speak in Delhi and underscored the importance of inclusivity in AI development, stating that “it would be totally unacceptable that AI would be just a privilege of the most developed countries or a division only between two superpowers.”
Focus of the India AI Impact Summit
The AI Impact Summit in India represents the fourth of its kind, originally initiated by Sunak in 2023 at Bletchley Park in the UK, aimed at fostering international collaboration to mitigate risks associated with advanced AI models. Subsequent meetings took place in Seoul in 2024 and Paris in 2025, where U.S. Vice President JD Vance shifted the focus away from safety concerns, arguing that the AI future will not be forged through caution but through innovation.
Concerns regarding safety remain prominent, with Yoshua Bengio, regarded as a “godfather” of AI, voicing his apprehensions over the potential for advanced AI systems to facilitate cyber and bioweapons attacks.
“The capabilities of AI have continued to advance, and although mitigation and risk management of AI has also progressed, it has not kept up. It is urgent that world leaders comprehend the trajectories we’re pursuing, and it demands their immediate attention and intervention,” he articulated on Tuesday.
One individual involved in ensuring AI safety at the summit is Nicolas Miaihle, co-founder of the AI Safety Connect group. He indicated that the summit is taking place against the backdrop of AI-enabled warfare in regions like Ukraine and the Middle East. “The existential risks are not going anywhere,” he commented. “When Rishi Sunak initiated this, the race hadn’t intensified as much as it has now. The trillions are flowing in and yet we remain far from securing these models. This poses significant implications for democracy, the mental health of children, and warfare.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration persists in its strategy of refraining from imposing strict regulations on U.S. AI companies. A senior AI policy adviser, Sriram Krishnan, is anticipated to be the highest-ranking official attending the summit from the White House.
Given the current U.S. administration’s stance, one senior AI company source commented, “It’s rather unlikely we’ll see substantial progress on any consensus regarding the regulatory framework.”
Companies like Google are concentrating their efforts on applying AI in education in India, leveraging large language models that can operate effectively in many of the nation’s numerous languages.
“The focus is on accessibility and adoption—how can we ensure that this technology is widely available?” said Owen Larter, head of frontier AI policy and public affairs at Google DeepMind. “We are enthusiastic about the educational prospects in India. It’s an inspiring narrative of rapid adoption, with nearly 90% of teachers and students currently leveraging AI in their learning experiences. We’ve also launched a major promotional initiative providing 2 million students with free access to our premium subscription.”
Google’s investments in India include a $15 billion commitment, collaborating with Gautam Adani’s conglomerate to establish a gigawatt-scale AI datacentre hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, linked by subsea cables to other parts of the globe.
Key Takeaways
- Silicon Valley tech leaders gather in Delhi for the AI Impact Summit.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi promotes India as the AI hub for South Asia and Africa.
- Concerns about AI surveillance and civil liberties, with contrasting views on AI’s role in society.
- The summit marks a significant moment for global south representation in AI discussions.
- Technology leaders emphasize accessibility and educational applications of AI in India.
- Debate around AI colonialism and its implications for marginalized communities.
FAQ
What is the focus of the AI Impact Summit?
The summit focuses on the role of AI in transforming sectors like agriculture, water management, and public health, alongside discussions on safety and ethical considerations.
Who are some key figures attending the summit?
Notable attendees include Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, and Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak and Narendra Modi.
What concerns have been raised about AI?
Concerns include potential state surveillance, discrimination against minorities, and the implications of AI in warfare.
