India, Feb. 17 -- India's Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday apologised to attendees who faced difficulties on the opening day of the IndiaAI Mission's India AI Impact Summit 2026, acknowledging the disruptions while describing the turnout as "phenomenal".

Vaishnaw's acknowledgement marks the first formal response from the government following the Day 1 criticism.

Addressing the media at Delhi's Bharat Mandapam, where the summit is being held, Vaishnaw said more than 70,000 people had attended the event and that the energy among visitors, dignitaries and exhibitors was "palpable".

"This is the biggest AI Summit in the world. The response was phenomenal. The energy is palpable. We can see the organisation ...