India is making bold moves in the artificial intelligence arena today, launching the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam with top global tech leaders in attendance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the five-day event on February 19 alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, spotlighting Indias vision for ethical and inclusive AI.

Over 40 CEOs and 20 heads of state are converging on the capital, joined by as many as 50,000 participants. Confirmed guests include Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAIs Sam Altman, Anthropics Dario Amodei, Google DeepMinds Demis Hassabis, Microsoft President Brad Smith, and Bill Gates. Indian giants like Reliances Mukesh Ambani and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani round out the roster, promising fireworks in discussions on AI governance, innovation, and investment—potentially unlocking $100 billion in pledges.

Ranking third worldwide in AI readiness after the US and China, India leverages its massive data pool (20% of global total), vast developer talent, and 700 million+ internet users. The IndiaAI Mission fuels this push with homegrown tools like the 17-billion-parameter BharatGen Param2 model, supporting 22 Indian languages through voice interfaces for underserved areas in healthcare and education. Building on hits like Aadhaar biometrics and UPI digital payments—now adopted abroad—India aims to export scalable AI solutions.

As US-China tech frictions intensify, companies like OpenAI and Google eye Indias data centers and young market. Yet hurdles persist: ramping up domestic RD to lead rather than test foreign tech. Startups like Sarvam AI are pioneering localized models for farming and medicine, offering a Global South model for affordable, ethical AI that accelerates progress.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from NDTV.