On Day 4 of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, French President Emmanuel Macron lauded India’s digital public infrastructure (DPI) as unparalleled, saying it demonstrates the world’s entry into a new era of AI-driven progress. He highlighted India’s achievements, including its digital ID system for 1.4 billion people, a payments network handling nearly 20 billion monthly transactions, and a health platform issuing over 500 million digital health IDs. “India has built what no other nation has,” Macron said.

Calling the summit a foundation for responsible AI growth, Macron emphasized the importance of shaping technological development to benefit society. Recalling last year’s AI Action Summit in Paris, he noted that both countries had established principles for technologies poised to transform economies and communities. “Last year we called it Action, this year Impact, but the real name is AI Together,” he said, affirming shared support for the AI revolution with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Macron warned that AI is now a field of strategic competition, linking capabilities, chips, and infrastructure directly to geopolitical influence. He praised India’s innovation in small language models, mobile AI systems, and chip production, noting that 38,000 chips have been manufactured at competitive costs. Both India and France, he added, are pursuing independence in AI model development and manufacturing, with France investing €9 billion and expanding low-carbon data centers. Highlighting India’s human capital, Macron stressed its large pool of AI engineers and the world’s second-largest engineering workforce. He noted that effective AI combines infrastructure, talent, and purpose, emphasizing inclusive benefits across agriculture, healthcare, and other sectors.

Macron also addressed the societal impact of AI, urging universal access, responsible use, and child protection. He referenced Indo-French cooperation on sustainable AI initiatives, open translation tools for Indian languages, and joint efforts to combat AI-driven abuse, calling child protection a “matter of civilisation.” Concluding, Macron affirmed India as a key partner in ensuring AI remains accessible, affordable, and responsibly governed. He said AI and digitalization would drive inclusive growth and future prosperity, with both countries working together to shape that future.