ew Delhi, India is this year’s rotating host the AI Impact Summit 2026, with last year’s edition being held in Paris also in February. This edition, taking place from 16 to 20 February, convenes under the theme Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya (“welfare for all, happiness for all”). Conversations will center on three “Sutras” (broad themes: People, Planet, and Progress) to encourage focus on multilateral cooperation and global benefit. The hosts are also promoting seven “Chakras” (more specific thematic buckets: Human Capital, Inclusion for Social Empowerment, Safe and Trusted AI, Resilience Innovation and Efficiency, Science, Democratizing AI Resources, and AI for Economic Growth and Social Good). Chakras derive from the three Sutras into more concrete areas of action for international cooperation. Through the Chakras, India intends the agenda to advance global unified AI strategies and deliver tangible impact on the AI landscape.
Context
The AI Impact Summit 2026 is convening as AI governance is becoming increasingly divergent across geopolitical blocs. From the EU’s more rigorous Artificial Intelligence Act to the U.S. approach of innovation “without cumbersome regulation” to China’s reticence on developing a regulatory framework and Russia’s focus on securitizing AI, how the world’s powers think about and utilize AI is wildly divergent. The OECD warns that without cohesive, timely regulations, markets and societies are acutely vulnerable.
That vulnerability is showing elsewhere. In December 2025, Bloomberg warned of the unprecedented amount of money invested in technology that is currently “unproven” as a business model. Similarly, critics have noted that many AI investments are circular, creating uncertainty about whether the growth is genuine market demand or artificially engineered. In November 2025, the stock market experienced significant declines across multiple AI stocks. Financial strategists warn that the volatile AI market could mirror the dot–com bubble burst of the early 2000s.
Finally, in recent days the question of how we guardrail against and adapt to AI’s evolution have become especially pointed. Prompted in part by this viral post on X warning that the latest models by OpenAI and Anthropic represent a true paradigm change on AI capacity that could overwhelm us, these conversations are pointed with strong and differing opinions but with one underlying common thread—we can’t continue as we’ve been.
What’s on the agenda
Heading into the India AI Impact Summit, here’s what to expect:
Better to amplify or mitigate AI impact? AI experts have long promised societal and environmental benefits of the technology. AI’s predictive analytics can help combat the climate crisis, improve disease detection and monitoring in healthcare, and mitigate supply chain risks. AI is cementing its role as a key driver in the global economy, with the IMF reporting that massive AI investment is increasing global economic resilience amid economic uncertainty. Yet as AI’s development continues to accelerate without meaningful regulation, experts warn of its potential harm. If left unchecked, AI could collapse the global job market, exacerbate global inequality, pose substantial security threats, and amplify bias and blind spots through its algorithms.
Bridgebuilding between advanced AI economies and emerging markets. This year’s summit boasts record global attendance, including prominent AI and Silicon Valley leaders. India has stated its intent Exploding interest. The record attendance is due in part to India’s vast data environment. Critically, it is also due to India’s place as the first developing country to host the summit, and the host country’s stated intent to represent the broad interests of the Global South at the summit—India’s role as host offers a unique opportunity for AI leaders to foster discussion around the responsible, people–first scaling of AI to promote inclusivity and global cooperation. Yet cooperation will look different than we’re used to, as cooperation on AI looks more and more likely to exist along informal, non–government channels.
When AI can build AI. Whether we’re ready for it or not, AI is getting more agentic. Both Anthropic and OpenAI launched new models in February which could be the harbinger of massive, disruptive change. Or the current controversy over these models and their capabilities might exemplify underlying problems with how we talk about AI in the first place. Regardless, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that AI will eliminate around half of white–collar jobs, along with additional concerns such as AI’s potential to become completely autonomous and unpredictable. With concerns over agentic AI’s potential impacts becoming more severe, finding ways to regulate or cooperate on standards is an increasingly urgent task.
What they’re saying
“I praise India for having assumed leadership for the AI Impact Summit… it is an absolutely crucial issue in international relations and one of the biggest challenges of current times.”. — UN Secretary General António Guterres
I think what we need to understand is previous revolutions – industrial revolutions of various kinds - basically replaced manual labor…provided relief from drudgery and manual labor. Now for the first time with AI cognitive and white-collar work is likely to be actually replaced, and that threat suddenly seems much more potent. — MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan
The first step is for those closest to the technology to simply tell the truth about the situation humanity is in, which I have always tried to do; I’m doing so more explicitly and with greater urgency with this essay. — Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on addressing the dangers of AI.
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AI Impact Summit 2026 aims for human–centric impact
Image via Getty Images for Unsplash+
February 16, 2026
This year’s AI Impact Summit will be held in India—the first such summit to be held in the Global South and a chance for India to showcase its AI potential. It comes at a time when concern over AI safety has spiked. Diplomatic Courier’s Stephanie Gull breaks down what to expect.
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ew Delhi, India is this year’s rotating host the AI Impact Summit 2026, with last year’s edition being held in Paris also in February. This edition, taking place from 16 to 20 February, convenes under the theme Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya (“welfare for all, happiness for all”). Conversations will center on three “Sutras” (broad themes: People, Planet, and Progress) to encourage focus on multilateral cooperation and global benefit. The hosts are also promoting seven “Chakras” (more specific thematic buckets: Human Capital, Inclusion for Social Empowerment, Safe and Trusted AI, Resilience Innovation and Efficiency, Science, Democratizing AI Resources, and AI for Economic Growth and Social Good). Chakras derive from the three Sutras into more concrete areas of action for international cooperation. Through the Chakras, India intends the agenda to advance global unified AI strategies and deliver tangible impact on the AI landscape.
Context
The AI Impact Summit 2026 is convening as AI governance is becoming increasingly divergent across geopolitical blocs. From the EU’s more rigorous Artificial Intelligence Act to the U.S. approach of innovation “without cumbersome regulation” to China’s reticence on developing a regulatory framework and Russia’s focus on securitizing AI, how the world’s powers think about and utilize AI is wildly divergent. The OECD warns that without cohesive, timely regulations, markets and societies are acutely vulnerable.
That vulnerability is showing elsewhere. In December 2025, Bloomberg warned of the unprecedented amount of money invested in technology that is currently “unproven” as a business model. Similarly, critics have noted that many AI investments are circular, creating uncertainty about whether the growth is genuine market demand or artificially engineered. In November 2025, the stock market experienced significant declines across multiple AI stocks. Financial strategists warn that the volatile AI market could mirror the dot–com bubble burst of the early 2000s.
Finally, in recent days the question of how we guardrail against and adapt to AI’s evolution have become especially pointed. Prompted in part by this viral post on X warning that the latest models by OpenAI and Anthropic represent a true paradigm change on AI capacity that could overwhelm us, these conversations are pointed with strong and differing opinions but with one underlying common thread—we can’t continue as we’ve been.
What’s on the agenda
Heading into the India AI Impact Summit, here’s what to expect:
Better to amplify or mitigate AI impact? AI experts have long promised societal and environmental benefits of the technology. AI’s predictive analytics can help combat the climate crisis, improve disease detection and monitoring in healthcare, and mitigate supply chain risks. AI is cementing its role as a key driver in the global economy, with the IMF reporting that massive AI investment is increasing global economic resilience amid economic uncertainty. Yet as AI’s development continues to accelerate without meaningful regulation, experts warn of its potential harm. If left unchecked, AI could collapse the global job market, exacerbate global inequality, pose substantial security threats, and amplify bias and blind spots through its algorithms.
Bridgebuilding between advanced AI economies and emerging markets. This year’s summit boasts record global attendance, including prominent AI and Silicon Valley leaders. India has stated its intent Exploding interest. The record attendance is due in part to India’s vast data environment. Critically, it is also due to India’s place as the first developing country to host the summit, and the host country’s stated intent to represent the broad interests of the Global South at the summit—India’s role as host offers a unique opportunity for AI leaders to foster discussion around the responsible, people–first scaling of AI to promote inclusivity and global cooperation. Yet cooperation will look different than we’re used to, as cooperation on AI looks more and more likely to exist along informal, non–government channels.
When AI can build AI. Whether we’re ready for it or not, AI is getting more agentic. Both Anthropic and OpenAI launched new models in February which could be the harbinger of massive, disruptive change. Or the current controversy over these models and their capabilities might exemplify underlying problems with how we talk about AI in the first place. Regardless, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that AI will eliminate around half of white–collar jobs, along with additional concerns such as AI’s potential to become completely autonomous and unpredictable. With concerns over agentic AI’s potential impacts becoming more severe, finding ways to regulate or cooperate on standards is an increasingly urgent task.
What they’re saying
“I praise India for having assumed leadership for the AI Impact Summit… it is an absolutely crucial issue in international relations and one of the biggest challenges of current times.”. — UN Secretary General António Guterres
I think what we need to understand is previous revolutions – industrial revolutions of various kinds - basically replaced manual labor…provided relief from drudgery and manual labor. Now for the first time with AI cognitive and white-collar work is likely to be actually replaced, and that threat suddenly seems much more potent. — MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan
The first step is for those closest to the technology to simply tell the truth about the situation humanity is in, which I have always tried to do; I’m doing so more explicitly and with greater urgency with this essay. — Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on addressing the dangers of AI.
