New Delhi, Feb. 13 -- The India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled from February 16 to 20 at Bharat Mandapam, is being positioned not as another forum for declarations, but as a checkpoint on how artificial intelligence is actually being used and who it is working for. Hosted by the Government of India under the IndiaAI Mission, the summit places "impact" at the center of the agenda, reflecting a broader shift in global thinking around AI.

When global leaders first gathered to discuss artificial intelligence in late 2023, the dominant question was one of control: how to contain the risks of powerful new systems before they spiraled beyond regulation.

By the time policymakers, companies, and researchers meet in New Delhi this month, the co...