The 2026 Impact Summit could become the Bretton Woods of AI

The New Delhi conclave would mark a historic moment if India lays down how AI should serve us

- JASPREET BINDRA

Earlier this year, I visited Bletchley Park, the beautifully preserved lodge in England where during World War II, Alan Turing and his fellow codebreakers decoded not just ciphers, but the very nature of machine logic. Many believe that it was this decoding of German cryptic messages that won the war for the Allies. Almost 75 years later, in the chill of an English autumn in 2023, world leaders, scientists and tech CEOs gathered there to defuse another looming conflict. That AI Safety Summit, steeped in moral urgency, raised an important alarm: Artificial intelligence (AI) may be the most powerful technology humanity has created and we have no consensus on how to govern it.

Six months later, the conversation moved to Paris for the AI Action Summit. The mood had shifted. Less philosophy, more policy. Countries debated surveillance versus safety, openness versus sovereignty. The EU showcased its regulatory strides; others offered national strategies. The US and UK demurred from the evolving consensus. From ethics to execution, the message was clear: the world was waking up, but still speaking in different tongues.

Now, the baton passes to India. In February 2026, New Delhi will host the AI Impact Summit, the third major global checkpoint in the ongoing effort to define AI's future. Hopefully, this is more than just another gathering of talking heads, but a rare opportunity for India to lead the conversation past alarm and action into actual impact.