AI Summit 2026 highlights: Piyush Goyal demands apology from Rahul Gandhi after Youth Congress's shirtless protest

AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: A shirtless protest by Indian Youth Congress workers led to a political slugfest as the BJP slammed the Congress and branded the stir as “characterless, brainless, and emotionless."

AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Indian Youth Congress workers stage a protest during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi. (@IYC)

AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Chaos unfolded briefly at the AI Impact Summit 2026 venue on Friday afternoon after a group of protesters, allegedly from the Indian Youth Congress, marched inside the venue and raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India-US trade deal. The protesters were seen carrying or wearing T-shirts with slogans such as ‘PM is compromised’, ‘India-US trade deal’ and ‘Epstein Files’, news agency PTI reported. The protest led to a political slugfest as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the Congress and branded the stir as “characterless, brainless, and emotionless."...Read More

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• 20 Feb 2026, 10:38:53 PM IST

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• 20 Feb 2026, 08:36:51 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Swedish deputy PM praises India's investments in sovereign AI models

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Praising India's investments in sovereign AI models, Sweden's deputy prime minister Ebba Busch on Friday said it reflects its society, and serves its people as she called the AI models a powerful example of inclusive technological development and democratic empowerment.

  "Sweden offers the ability to move from strategy to execution. In the Nordics (Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark), we are now building AI gigafactories, manufacturing intelligence at an industrial scale with near-zero carbon energy," Busch was quoted as sayin by ANI.

• 20 Feb 2026, 08:22:31 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Piyush Goyal demands apology from Rahul Gandhi

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Condemning the shirtless protest by IYC workers, commerce minister Piyush Goyal accused the Congress of being "anti-India face" and being “bereft of any positive programme or nation-building ideas” as he demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi.

  "I condemn the Congress party's arrogance. It clearly reflects their jealousy, envy, and disappointment that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is emerging as the most popular leader not only in India but across the world. It clearly shows that the Congress party is bereft of any positive programme or nation-building ideas," Goyal was quoted as saying by ANI.

• 20 Feb 2026, 08:12:36 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: BJYM members protest outside Rahul Gandhi's residence

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party's youth wing were detained by the Delhi Police for staging a protest outside the residence of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, following demonstrations by the Indian Youth Congress at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Read full story here

• 20 Feb 2026, 08:02:23 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Om Birla says deepfakes a serious threat to democracy

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Friday said misinformation and deepfakes are "serious threats" to democracy. His remarks come amid Lok Sabha Secretariat reportedly serving a notice on the Congress IT cell for allegedly using AI-generated images of Birla.
  
  via PTI

• 20 Feb 2026, 08:00:22 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Aswini Vaishnaw calls India's MANAV vision a ‘strong endorsement of our policy'

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Union minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said India's 'MANAV' vision for Artificial Intelligence, outlining a human-centric framework for ethical, accountable and inclusive AI governance, received strong global endorsement during the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

  via ANI

• 20 Feb 2026, 06:54:23 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Naked display of the opposition’s complete lack of issues, says Kumar Vishvas

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Reacting on the shirtless protest by IYC workers on Friday, former leader of the Aam Aadmi Party said the protest is a naked display of the opposition’s complete lack of issues. “On an international platform where the country is fully focused on proving its technological strength in front of the world’s most distinguished guests, this naked protest against the country’s Prime Minister is, in reality, a naked display of the opposition’s complete lack of issues,” he wrote on X.

• 20 Feb 2026, 06:08:27 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Ravneet Singh Bittu's ‘national shame’ dig at Congress

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Following the shirtless protest at AI summit by IYC on Friday, BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu took a swipe at the Congress calling the episode a ‘national shame’.

  “At a time when India is hosting a prestigious global AI Summit and showcasing its innovation, vision, and technological leadership to the world, the Congress party chose disruption over dignity,” wrote on X, in a post that was identical to the statement posted on BJP's official handle.

• 20 Feb 2026, 06:03:42 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Smriti Irani lashes out at Congress after shirtless protest

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: BJP leader Smriti Irani lashed out at the Congress following the row over IYC's shirtless protest at the AI summit. " 'Khisiyani Billi Khamba Noche!' It takes rare political bankruptcy to convert a global summit into a stage for embarrassing the nation before the world. The 'scion' of the grand old party seems to believe spectacle can substitute for substance. When your ideas have been out of stock for over a decade, theatrics become the final clearance sale," Irani wrote on X.

• 20 Feb 2026, 05:55:17 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Elsevier’s Jan Herzhoff on de-skilling and AI

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Jan Herzhoff of Dutch academic publisher Elsevier has said that the concerns of de-skilling due to the use of artificial intelligence can be addressed when critical thinking is combined with expanding knowledge base, instead of solely relying on AI's response. He said that de-skilling happens when clinicians don't apply critical thinking and rely on "that little answer chunk" before moving to the next patient. "Clinicians are extremely busy, they don't have time. When they have a question, they send it to an AI, and get an answer. In the best case, (they) might just check the reference, then they go back to the next patient," Herzhoff was quoted as saying by PTI.

• 20 Feb 2026, 05:35:32 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Costa Rica minister praises India for AI

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Costa Rica's Minister of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications, Paula Bogantes Zamora on Friday praised India's leadership in leveraging AI for national development. She also called Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of ethical, inclusive Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance “the right message to be conveyed at this time.”

  "That is the right message to be conveyed at this time. It's undoubted that AI needs to be an element that every government needs to consider when talking about developing the country's economy," Bogantes was quoted as saying by ANI.

• 20 Feb 2026, 05:17:37 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Indian-American launches Magenta AI

  In a landmark moment for artificial intelligence and digital governance, Dr. Ravneet (Ravi) Singh, an American social media strategist and AI researcher based in Miami, Florida, returned to India this month to launch Magenta AI at the prestigious India-AI Impact Summit 2026 - one of the world's largest gatherings of policymakers, innovators, and global tech leaders focused on shaping the future of artificial intelligence.

  The summit - hosted at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from February 16–20, 2026 - brought together leading minds from industry, government, and research to discuss AI's role in economic growth, ethical innovation, and global inclusion. India, as the first Global South nation to host the event, has positioned itself at the center of international conversations on responsible AI use and governance.

  (PTI)

• 20 Feb 2026, 05:00:01 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Andhra CM at the event

  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu placed education firmly at the centre of the State’s artificial intelligence ambitions. During his visit to the AI Impact Summit on February 20, Naidu oversaw the signing of seven key MoUs and Letters of Intent, most of which were directly focused on higher education, advanced skilling, and school transformation. The emphasis was clear. Andhra Pradesh is choosing to build its AI future through its students," reads a press release.

  "The Government of Andhra Pradesh signed a Letter of Intent with IBM India Private Limited to skill one lakh learners over the next three to five years in Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Quantum Computing. The collaboration will explore access to IBM’s global digital learning platforms, enabling learners from Andhra Pradesh to gain industry-aligned, future-ready skills and strengthening the State’s emerging tech workforce pipeline," it reads further.

• 20 Feb 2026, 04:36:46 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: BJP reacts to IYC's shirtless protest

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Terming the IYC's shirtless protest at AI summit as ‘national shame’, the BJP said the protest is an act clearly designed to embarrass India on the world stage.

  “At a time when India is hosting a prestigious global AI Summit, showcasing its innovation and leadership in technology, the Congress party chose disruption over dignity,” BJP said on X.

• 20 Feb 2026, 04:12:35 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Rijiju slams Congress

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju took a potshot on the Congress and said the party has become a national shame.

• 20 Feb 2026, 03:50:12 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Piyush Goyal's reaction after shirtless protest

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Commerce minister Piyush Goyal said the Youth Congress protest put the Congress party's ‘arrogance and frustration’ on display. “So, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, humiliating India to target the Government is your idea of opposition! While you want to CHOKE India's development by peddling lies about the recent trade deals, your foot soldiers are marching shirtless at the prestigious AI Summit, attempting to embarrass 140 crore Indians globally,” Goyal wrote on X.

• 20 Feb 2026, 03:24:14 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: What police said on Youth Congress protest

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: A shirtless protest by he workers of the Youth Congress workers has prompted a legal action by the Delhi . The protestors had registered for the summit online, Additional Commissioner of Police Devesh Mahla told ANI, adding the protestors were wearing sweaters and jackets over objectionable T-shirts. Near Hall Number 5, one of them removed his outer clothing and waved the T-shirt in protest. The official added that appropriate legal action is being taken and that those detained are being identified.

• 20 Feb 2026, 03:14:31 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Youth Congress defends ‘Rahul Gandhi’s soldiers'

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Following the shirtless protest by Youth Congress workers at AI Impact Summit, the party defended the workers saying the demonstration reflected the anger of unemployed youth across the country. "Our Youth Congress colleagues are Rahul Gandhi's soldiers. They won't be intimidated. When there wasn't an FIR against Rahul Gandhi, the ED case dragged on for so many years. He was summoned for questioning so many times," Indian Youth Congress National President Uday Bhanu Chib told news agency ANI.

• 20 Feb 2026, 03:02:43 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Latest on those detained from AI Summit venue after protest

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Police told HT that four persons have been detained following the protest at AI Summit venue in Delhi. Police also said a legal action will be taken against them.

• 20 Feb 2026, 02:51:38 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: IMF MD sounds alarm over AI risks in job market

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Dr Kristalina Georgieva, has sounded alarm over the impact of AI on job market. “Optimistic about AI, but it poses significant risks; could bring Tsunami in job market,” Georgieva was quoted as saying by PTI.

• 20 Feb 2026, 02:38:45 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Security at AI Summit to be heightened after protest

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: The security at the AI Impact Summit 2026 is likely to be heightened following the protest allegedly by the Indian Youth Congress workers, PTI reported, quoting a Delhi Police official who termed the incident as ‘unfortunate’.

• 20 Feb 2026, 02:36:39 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: How the protest at AI Summit venue unfolded

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: On Friday afternoon, with T-shirts having images of PM Modi and US President Trump, around 10 protesters marched inside Hall No 5 of the Bharat Mandapam where the AI Impact Summit is being held. They raised slogans on India-US trade deal and ‘PM is compromised’. While they were not carrying any party flag, one of the protesters said that they were from Youth Congress, PTI reported. The protest lasted for a few minutes and the group was taken out of the hall. The commotion caught the guests and other visitors by surprise.

• 20 Feb 2026, 02:27:17 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: 10 Youth Congress workers detained for protest at Bharat Mandapam

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: A group of India Youth Congress (IYC) workers staged a brief protest at an exhibition hall of the AI Impact Summit. A senior police officer said that around 10 people were detained when they were protesting at the AI Summit.

  "They were removed immediately and were taken to Tilak Marg police station. No one will be allowed to breach law and order situation," the officer said as per PTI.

  The protesters marched inside Hall No 5, wearing or holding white T-shirts with images of Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump printed on them along with slogans such as "India US Trade Deal", "Epstein Files" and "PM is compromised", soon resulting in a commotion.

• 20 Feb 2026, 02:15:18 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE: Vaishnaw's dig at opposition

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE: As India formally joined the United States’ flagship initiative Pax Silica on Friday at the ongoing AI Impact summit, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw did not leave the opportunity to take a dig at the opposition while he was on the stage.

  While talking about AI chips, the minister took a ‘potato chip’ jibe at the opposition and said that they will keep crying but India must move forward.

  “There are some people who talk about ‘chips’ which only remind me of ‘potato chips’. Let them be, they will keep crying. Sometimes they cry in the Parliament…All that will keep going on but we must keep moving forward in a clear direction,” the union minister was heard saying.

• 20 Feb 2026, 02:02:11 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Indian Youth Congress workers detained after protest

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: At least four Indian Youth Congress workers were detained after protesting at Bharat Mandapam. The police said that they are taking legal action against them, reported news agency ANI.

• 20 Feb 2026, 01:48:29 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Indian Youth Congress workers protest at Bharat Mandapam

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Some members of the Indian Youth Congress staged a protest at Bharat Mandapam and chanted anti-Modi slogans on Friday.

• 20 Feb 2026, 01:33:53 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: ‘India will provide global leadership in AI,’ Chandrababu Naidu

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: As Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu arrived for AI summit, he said, “We are all very happy. Our Prime Minister is promoting India's AI globally. This is an inspiring time. Everything is happening in India. India will provide global leadership in AI and related industries.”

  “Not just AI, integrated data centres, AI, quantum, you name it. We are very happy. Things are happening positively. We are living in an inspiring time. Everybody has to work in that direction,” he added.

• 20 Feb 2026, 01:05:49 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: ‘Secretary Rubio to visit India soon,’ says Sergio Gor

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India very soon “in a matter of months”.

  "Secretary Rubio will be travelling to India very soon, in a matter of months. And so that'll be part of the Quad, along with many other initiatives," Gor said.

• 20 Feb 2026, 12:47:54 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: ‘Prez Lula, PM Modi not just colleagues, they’re friends', says Brazilian envoy

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Brazil’s Ambassador to India, Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega said that Brazilian President Lula and PM Modi have a very good chemistry and they are not only colleagues but also friends.

  “President Lula has come to India with the largest ever delegation, with more than 11 cabinet ministers, more than 300 businessmen, among them 50 CEOs. This is taking the bilateral relations historically to a new level,” he said.

  “This is a historical summit in the Global South, and the Prime Minister Modi is really trying to include the Global South in this essential new wave of technology, which is AI, which will transform our lives. Yes, India definitely is becoming a new hub for AI,” he added.

• 20 Feb 2026, 12:37:53 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: AI can transform healthcare in areas lacking specialists, says ex-WHO deputy director

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Former Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Soumya Swaminathan, on Friday said artificial intelligence can have a significant positive impact on healthcare, especially in regions where specialist doctors are scarce.

  "AI can have a lot of very positive impact in healthcare, particularly since we know that we have a lot of places in India as well as in other parts of the world like Africa where we don't have specialists, you don't have radiologists, psychiatrists, pathologists. One very simple solution of AI is image recognition or pattern recognition. So, reading X-rays, reading pathology slides, those things can be done quite well, provided the algorithm is trained well on a good data set," Swaminathan told reporters. (ANI)

• 20 Feb 2026, 12:14:37 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Sundar Pichai congratulates US, India on Pax Silica signing

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: As India formally joined US' flagship AI initiative Pax Silica on Friday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai congratulated both the countries and said, "Pax Silica focuses on making sure that the supply chains are safe and secure and encourages greater commercial partnerships across key technologies. So let me congratulate the US and India on this historic moment. Alongside the recent trade agreement, this will lay a strong foundation for a robust US-India tech partnership for many years to come."

• 20 Feb 2026, 12:04:19 PM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: ‘Stay Tuned,’ US envoy Sergio Gor on possible Modi-Trump meeting

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, on Friday said that a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump will take place at the right time.

  "Stay tuned, I'm sure it'll happen at the right moment," Gor told news agency ANI on the sidelines of India AI Impact Summit when asked about the possibility of a meeting between PM Modi and Trump.

• 20 Feb 2026, 11:49:30 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: UN chief interacts with AI prodigy Raul John Aju

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: At the ongoing AI summit, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, interacted with AI prodigy Raul John Aju.

• 20 Feb 2026, 11:37:53 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: ‘Pax Silica very important for semiconductor supply chain’ says Ashwini Vaishnaw

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: After India joined US' AI initiative Pax Silica on Friday, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that it was possible because India has conducted its foreign policy in a way which creates trust.

  "Our PM Narendra Modi ji has created trust in our country. The entire world trusts India because we, we respect IP. We have a large talent pool and we have conducted our foreign policy in a way which creates that trust. And as a part of that, today the PAX SILICA was signed, which is very important for semiconductor supply chain, semiconductor manufacturing, chip design, for getting that entire semiconductor ecosystem well established in our country," he said.

• 20 Feb 2026, 11:23:34 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: ‘Incredible opportunity to move forward with the world', says MP CM Mohan Yadav

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: At India AI Impact Summit, Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav says, "This is an incredible opportunity to connect with AI and move forward with the world. I have come here personally with my officials to see how it can be beneficial for our state and how we can become partners in the world so that the state progresses."

• 20 Feb 2026, 11:02:03 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: ‘AI revolution is here to stay’, says Sergio Gor

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: US' ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Friday during a panel discussion at the ongoing AI Summit in Delhi that the AI revolution is here and it is here “to stay”.

  “The AI revolution is here. People can pretend it's not, but it is coming. It's one of those things the sooner the people can adapt, the sooner people can partner with like-minded individuals, that's a good thing," Gor said.

  “You will see in other places of the world, not AI, other places where they are going to resist AI and this revolution, it is here, it is here to stay," he added.

• 20 Feb 2026, 10:52:42 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: India joins Pax Silicia

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: India on Friday formally joined Pax Silica – the United States' flagship effort on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and supply chain security, advancing new economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners.

  India joined Pax Silica on the sidelines of the Global AI Impact Summit being held in New Delhi. Read more about the alliance here

• 20 Feb 2026, 10:32:42 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: What is Pax Silicia?

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE Updates: Pax Silica is a US-led multilateral initiative launched in December 2025. The initiative aims to create a secure, resilient supply chain for semiconductors, AI technology, and critical minerals.

  It also aims to reduce dependence of the technology sector on China.

• 20 Feb 2026, 10:27:57 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE Updates: India joins US' Pax Silica initiative

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE: Speaking at the AI Impact Summit in India, US ambassador to India Sergio Gor has stated that Pax Silica will be a coalition of capabilities.
  

  The US State Department announced that India will be signing into the initiative on Thursday night.

• 20 Feb 2026, 10:21:16 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Traffic snarls continue in Delhi

  

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: On the day 5 of the ongoing AI summit in the national capital, the city continued to witness traffic snarls as the traffic police issued and advisory and diverted several routes.

• 20 Feb 2026, 10:09:48 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: ‘Agriculture must sit at the heart of this mission,’ Devendra Fadnavis

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said during his address that agriculture must sit at the heart of India's AI mission.

  “The India AI mission is about using technology to deliver inclusion, transparency, and scale. Today, agriculture must sit at the heart of this mission. Over half a billion Indians depend directly or indirectly on agriculture. Yet, smallholders face fragmented information, rising input costs, climate uncertainty, and limited access to credit and markets... Artificial intelligence changes this equation. AI can provide hyperlocal weather predictions, early outbreak warnings, precision irrigation and fertiliser guidance, credit scoring based on crop intelligence, transparent traceable supply chains, real-time market advisories... AI must be built on trusted data, ethical governance, and public accountability,” he said.

• 20 Feb 2026, 10:05:56 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Devendra Fadnavis says under PM Modi's leadership, ‘India has placed responsible AI at centre’

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: During his address ahead of a panle discussion on ‘AI for Agriculture: Scaling Intelligence for Food and Climate Resilience’, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "Across the world, food systems are under strain. Climate volatility is intensifying. Water tables are falling. Soil health is deteriorating. Supply chains are fragile, and global markets are unpredictable. For countries from the global south, agriculture is not merely an economic sector. It is livelihood, social stability and national security. India understands this very deeply. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has placed digital public infrastructure and responsible AI at the centre."

• 20 Feb 2026, 10:00:38 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Prince Dhawan of REC says ‘AI won’t scale unless your power is programmable'

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Prince Dhawan of REC Limited, while addressing a panel on the US-India partnership powering the AI era, said, “AI essentially would not scale unless your power is programmable.”

• 20 Feb 2026, 09:49:10 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: World leaders calls for trust, balance and stronger global cooperation

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: The national capital witnessed a significant gathering of global leaders, policymakers and technology experts at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, where discussions centred on shaping Artificial Intelligence to benefit humanity while strengthening international partnerships.

  At a panel discussion organised by the RUSSOFT Association and Akis Tech, President of RUSSOFT Association, Valentin Makarov, underlined the long-standing ties between India and Russia and the scope for deeper collaboration in emerging technologies.

  Reflecting on his early engagement with India, in an interview with ANI, he said, "I first visited India in 1995. Russia and India have an opportunity to create a new centre of competence, a new big market, and a pool of talented innovators. Trust remains the foundation for our future endeavours. PM Modi's vision and AI's impact are crucial in this context. Collaboration brings us much more benefits." (ANI)

• 20 Feb 2026, 09:27:42 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: ‘Attendance of Presidents, Prime Ministers, and world leaders’ - Shashi Tharoor

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: While talking about the India AI Impact Summit, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "... These first couple of days have gone extremely well. There have been some glitches, but these things happen in a large event. What has been impressive is the attendance of Presidents, Prime Ministers, and world leaders, and they've come with a strong message of wanting to see a newly integrated world in AI development, where the impact upon society would be the Principle. Preoccupation in India has clearly led the drive in this area. As far as the French Rafale is concerned, parts of it are being manufactured in India, and that is a very important aspect of the deal because it is part of strengthening our defence, but also increasing our self-reliance in the defence sector... Defence is important for India not because we want to go to war, but because we don't want others to think that we are so weak that they can be tempted to go to war. It is a defensive defence literally, and I support the government on that." (ANI)

• 20 Feb 2026, 09:11:53 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Who is Dario Amodei, US CEO who refused to hold Sam Altman’s hand on AI summit stage?

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: An awkward moment occurred at the India AI Summit stage this morning when Sam Altman and Dario Amodei, CEOs of rival AI firms OpenAI and Anthropic, refused to hold hands for a group photograph

  Dario Amodei is an American artificial intelligence researcher and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, the company behind the large language model series Claude.

  Amodei has a contentious history with OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman. He spent over four years at OpenAI before leaving the startup to launch Anthropic.

  While at OpenAI between 2016 to 2020, Amodei went from team lead of AI safety to Vice President of Research. He led the development of large language models like GPT-2 and GPT-3.

  Before joining OpenAI, he worked at Google Brain as a Senior Research Scientist (until July 2016), and as a Research Scientist at Baidu. Read more.

• 20 Feb 2026, 08:56:06 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Brazilian President, other leaders to hold ‘Brazilian Perspectives on the Future of AI’ session

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: During the session dedicated for Brazil's perspective on AI, the country's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will speak. Along with him, other Brazilian ministers who will speak are-

  Mauro Vieira, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Brazil

  Alexandre Padilha, Minister of Health, Brazil

  Frederico de Siqueira Filho, Minister of Communications, Brazil

  Esther Dweck, Minister of Management & Innovation in Public Services, Brazil

  Camilo Santana, Minister of Education, Brazil

  Luciana Santos, Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation, Brazil

• 20 Feb 2026, 08:47:58 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: ‘New Delhi Frontier AI’ pact pushes inclusive global artificial intelligence, said Ashwini Vaishnaw

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Global technology giants and Indian innovators on Thursday signed the ‘New Delhi Frontier AI Impact Commitments’, a dual-pledge framework designed to track artificial intelligence adoption and enhance its performance across diverse linguistic and cultural contexts.

  The pact, announced by IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at the AI Impact Summit in the capital, includes Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and Meta, alongside Indian firms Sarvam, BharatGen, Gnani and Soket AI.

  “Today, leading AI frontier companies, along with India’s own innovators such as Sarvam, BharatGen, Gnani and Socket have come together to make a set of voluntary commitments that reflect a shared vision for inclusive and responsible AI,” Vaishnaw said. He stated that the initiative positions India at the forefront of building a “Global South-led perspective on AI governance, one that balances innovation with equity and real-world impact”. Read more.

• 20 Feb 2026, 08:40:03 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Chandrababu Naidu, Himanta Sarma to address the summit today

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa will address the AI Summit today during a session named 'Fueling India's Economic Growth via State-Level AI Adoption'.

• 20 Feb 2026, 08:31:25 AM IST

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Mukesh Ambani pledges ₹10 lakh cr investment to make AI affordable

  AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: During his address on Thursday, Mukesh Ambani announced that he will invest ₹10 lakh crore in artificial intelligence over the next seven years.

  He also pledged to make AI more affordable and accessible for people across India, like what his group had achieved with making mobile and internet data.

  "Jio connected India to the Internet Era. Jio will now connect India to the Intelligence Era...India cannot afford to rent intelligence. Therefore, we will reduce the cost of intelligence as dramatically as we did in the case of data," he said.