At a pivotal moment in human history, the world gathered in New Delhi for the 2026 AI Impact Summit. For us, it was a tremendous honor and a great joy to welcome to Indian soil heads of state, government leaders, officials and scientists from around the world.

India brings scale and energy to everything it undertakes, and this summit was no exception. Representatives from over 100 nations gathered. Scientists showcased cutting-edge AI products and services. Thousands of young people filled the exhibition halls, asking questions and imagining possibilities. Their curiosity made this AI Impact Summit the largest and most democratic in the world. I see this as a significant moment in India's development journey, as a mass movement for AI innovation and adoption truly took off.

Human history has been marked by numerous technological revolutions that have changed the course of civilization. Artificial intelligence belongs to the same category as fire, writing, electricity, and the internet. But with AI, changes that once took decades can now happen in a matter of weeks and impact the entire planet.

AI makes machines intelligent, but it is even more of a force multiplier for human intentions. It is essential to put AI at the service of humanity rather than machines. At this summit, we placed human well-being at the heart of the global debate on AI, with the principle "Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya" (well-being for all, happiness for all).

I have always believed that technology should serve people, not the other way around. Whether it's digital payments via the UPI or COVID vaccination, we have ensured that the public digital infrastructure is accessible to everyone, without exception. I witnessed the same mindset at the summit, in the work of our innovators in areas such as agriculture, security, support for Divyangjan, and tools for multilingual populations.

There are already examples of AI's empowering potential in India. Recently, "Sarlaben," an AI-powered digital assistant launched by the Indian dairy cooperative AMUL, provided real-time advice to 3.6 million dairy farmers, mostly women, on livestock health and productivity in their own language. Similarly, an AI-based platform called Bharat VISTAAR provides multilingual information to farmers, giving them access to data on everything from the weather to market prices.

Human beings should never become mere data or raw material for machines. On the contrary, AI must become a tool serving the global common good, opening new avenues for progress for countries in the Global South. To realize this vision, India has presented the MANAV framework for human-centered AI governance.

Moral and ethical systems : AI must be based on ethical principles.

Responsible governance : transparent rules and rigorous oversight.

National sovereignty : respect for national data rights.

Accessible and inclusive : AI must not be a monopoly.

Valid and legitimate : AI must comply with laws and be verifiable.

MANAV, which means "human", proposes principles that anchor AI in 21st century human values.

Trust is the foundation upon which the future of AI rests. As generative systems flood the world with content, democratic societies face the risks of deepfakes and disinformation. Just as food carries nutritional labels, digital content must carry authenticity labels. I urge the international community to mobilize to create common standards for digital identification and source verification. India has already taken a step in this direction by legally mandating clear labeling for synthetically generated content.

The well-being of our children is of utmost importance to us. AI systems must be designed with safeguards that encourage responsible, family-guided use, reflecting the same care we give to educational systems around the world.

Technology delivers its greatest benefits when shared, rather than hoarded as a strategic asset. Open platforms can empower millions of young people to contribute to making technology safer and more human-centered. This collective intelligence is humanity's greatest strength. AI must evolve as a global public good.

We are entering an era where humans and intelligent systems will co-create, co-work, and co-evolve. Entirely new professions will emerge. When the internet first appeared, no one could have imagined the possibilities it offered. It ended up creating a considerable number of new opportunities, and the same will be true for AI.

I am convinced that our young people, equipped with new tools, will be the true driving force of the AI era. We encourage training, retraining, and lifelong learning by implementing some of the largest and most diverse training programs in the world.

India boasts one of the world's largest populations of young, tech-savvy individuals. Thanks to our energy capacity and clear policies, we are uniquely positioned to harness the full potential of AI. At this summit, I was proud to see Indian companies launching locally developed AI models and applications, reflecting the technological depth of our young community of innovators.

To fuel the growth of our AI ecosystem, we are building a robust infrastructure. As part of India’s AI Mission, we have deployed thousands of GPUs and are poised to deploy even more soon. By providing access to world-class computing power at highly affordable rates, even the smallest startups can become global players. Furthermore, we have established a national AI repository, democratizing access to AI datasets and models. From semiconductors and data infrastructure to dynamic startups and applied research, we are focused on the entire value chain.

India's diversity, democracy, and dynamic population provide an environment conducive to inclusive innovation. Solutions that work in India can benefit humanity worldwide.

That is why we invite the whole world to design and develop solutions in India, to serve the whole world and all of humanity.

Narendra Modi

Prime Minister of India