Global AI talks begin in India

A GLOBAL artificial intelligence summit kicked off in New Delhi yesterday with big issues on the agenda, from job disruption to child safety, but some attendees warn the broad focus could diminish the chance of concrete commitments from world leaders.

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A MOTORCYCLIST rides past the hoarding of 'India AI Impact Summit 2026' along a street on the eve of the summit in New Delhi.

(AFP)

While frenzied demand for generative AI has turbocharged profits for many tech companies, anxiety is growing over the risks that it poses to society and the environment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to inaugurate the five-day AI Impact Summit, which aims to declare a “shared roadmap for global AI governance and collaboration”.

“This occasion is further proof that our country is progressing rapidly in the field of science and technology,” and it “shows the capability of our country’s youth”, he said in an X post yesterday.

It is the fourth annual gathering addressing the problems and opportunities posed by AI, after previous international meetings in Paris, Seoul and Britain's wartime code-breaking hub Bletchley.

Touted as the biggest edition yet, the Indian government is expecting 250 000 visitors from across the sector, including 20 national leaders and 45 ministerial-level delegations.