From left: India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, with the chief executives of OpenAI, Sam Altman, and Anthropic, Dario Amodei, at the AI Impact summit in Delhi. From left: India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, with the chief executives of OpenAI, Sam Altman, and Anthropic, Dario Amodei, at the AI Impact summit in Delhi. AI hit: India hungry to harness US tech giants' technology at Delhi summit Narendra Modi's thirst to supercharge economic growth is matched by US desire to inject AI into world's biggest democracy I ndia celebrates 80 years of independence from the UK in August 2027. At about that same moment, "early versions of true super intelligence" could emerge, Sam Altman, the co-founder of OpenAI, said this week. It's a looming coincidence that raised a charged question at the AI Impact summit in Delhi, hosted by India's prime minister, Narendra Modi: can India avoid returning to the status of a vassal state when it imports AI to raise the prospects of its 1.4 billion people? Modi's hunger to harness AI's capability is great.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a group photo with AI company leaders at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Feb. 19, 2026. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a group photo with AI company leaders at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Feb. 19, 2026. The world's largest-ever AI summit took place in India this week, with hundreds of thousands of people, including world leaders and CEOs of AI companies, descending upon New Delhi for five days. It was the fourth in a series of summits that were initially designed as a place for governments to coordinate global action in the face of threats from advanced AI. But the India summit, like one in Paris before it, functioned more as a trade fair and an advertisement for the host nation's AI prowess than a venue for meaningful international diplomacy.

Epstein's shadow: Why Bill Gates pulled out of Modi's AI summit Microsoft founder Bill Gates has cancelled his keynote speech at India's flagship AI summit just hours before he was due to take the stage on Thursday. Gates, who has faced renewed scrutiny over his past ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, withdrew to "ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit's key priorities", the Gates Foundation said in a statement. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi had billed the summit as an opportunity for India to shape the future of AI, drawing high-profile attendees, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Instead, it has been dogged by controversy, from Gates's abrupt exit to an incident in which an Indian university tried to pass off a Chinese-made robotic dog as its own innovation. So, what exactly went wrong at India's flagship AI gathering and why has it drawn such intense scrutiny?

Bill Gates pulls out of India's AI summit amid Epstein files controversy Bill Gates will not deliver his keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, his philanthropic organisation said hours before the Microsoft co-founder was due to speak. The Gates Foundation said the decision was made after careful consideration and to ensure the focus remains on the [summit's] key priorities, but did not elaborate. Gates's withdrawal comes amid a controversy over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after he was named in new files released by the US Department of Justice in January. Gates's spokesperson has called the claims in the files absolutely absurd and completely false, and the billionaire has said he regretted spending time with Epstein . Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein's victims and the appearance of his name in the files does not imply criminal activity of any kind.

World leaders discuss AI future at India's global summit in New Delhi The fourth, and most high-profile, day of a global artificial intelligence summit in India is under way with world leaders such as United Nations chief Antonio Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron taking the floor to discuss how to handle the fast-advancing technology that is prompting investment enthusiasm and deep concern in equal measure. The huge gathering in New Delhi is the fourth in a series of international AI meetings that have been taking place since 2023 in France, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Job disruption, child safety and regulations have topped the agenda of this year's edition. The UN chief called on tech tycoons to support a $3bn global fund to ensure open access to the fast-advancing technology for all. The French president also spoke of needing deep involvement: "The message I have come to convey is what is that we are determined to continue to shape the rules of the game, and to do with our allies such as India," Macron said. "Europe is not blindly focused on regulation - Europe is a space for innovation and investment, but it is a safe space."

Tech platforms would have to remove intimate images which have been shared without consent within 48 hours, under a proposed UK law. The government said tackling intimate image abuse should be treated with the same severity as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and terrorist content. Failure to abide by the rules could result in companies being fined up to 10% of their global sales or have their services blocked in the UK. Janaya Walker, interim director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said the welcome and powerful move... rightly places the responsibility on tech companies to act. The proposals are being made through an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, which is making its way through the House of Lords.

Campaigners fear Narendra Modi could use AI to increase state surveillance and sway elections. Campaigners fear Narendra Modi could use AI to increase state surveillance and sway elections. Silicon Valley tech billionaires will land in Delhi this week for an AI summit hosted by India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, where leaders of the global south will wrestle for control over the fast-developing technology. During the week-long AI Impact Summit, attended by thousands of tech executives, government officials and AI safety experts, tech companies valued at trillions of dollars will rub along with leaders of countries such as Kenya and Indonesia, where average wages dip well below $1,000 a month. Amid a push to speed up AI adoption across the globe, Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman and Dario Amodei, the heads of Google, OpenAI and Anthropic, will all be there.

The tech bros might show more humility in Delhi - but will they make AI any safer? Those who shout the loudest about artificial intelligence tend to be in the West, notably the US and Europe. So it's significant that a gathering of powerful leaders is being held in the Global South, a region of the world that runs the risk of being left behind in the AI race. Tech bosses, politicians, scientists, academics and campaigners are meeting at the AI Impact Summit in India this week for top-level discussions about what the world should be doing to try to marshal the AI revolution in the right direction. At last year's AI Action Summit, as it was then known, an ugly power struggle broke out between some Western countries over who should be in charge.

India is hosting an artificial intelligence summit this week, bringing together heads of state and tech executives with hot-button issues on the agenda, including job disruption and child safety. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday afternoon inaugurate the five-day AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, which aims to declare a "shared roadmap for global AI governance and collaboration". 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. It comes at a pivotal moment as AI rapidly transforms economies, reshapes labour markets and raises questions around regulations, security and ethics. From generative AI tools that can produce text and images to advanced systems used in defence, healthcare and climate modelling, AI has become a central focus for governments and corporations across the world.

The man who made India digital isn't done yet Nandan Nilekani can't stop trying to push India into the future. He started nearly 30 years ago, masterminding an ongoing experiment in technological state capacity that started with Aadhaar--the world's largest digital identity system. Using Aadhaar as the bedrock, Nilekani and people working with him went on to build a sprawling collection of free, interoperating online tools that add up to nothing less than a digital infrastructure for society, covering government services, banking, and health care. They offer convenience and access that would be eye-popping in wealthy countries a tenth of India's size. At 70 years old, Nilekani should be retired. But he has a few more ideas.