Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for inclusive AI governance and equitable access to artificial intelligence at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Thursday, urging world leaders and technology executives to ensure that AI benefits all sections of society.
Addressing the fourth annual global AI summit, Narendra Modi said artificial intelligence must be democratised and used for the global common good. Speaking in Hindi, he emphasised that AI should function as a tool for inclusion and empowerment rather than deepen inequality.
“We must democratise AI. It must become a medium for inclusion and empowerment,” he said. “We are entering an era where humans and intelligence systems co-create, co-work and co-evolve. We must resolve that AI is used for the global common good.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres echoed the call for responsible AI governance, warning that the future of artificial intelligence should not be determined by a small group of powerful corporations or countries. He urged support for a proposed $3 billion global fund aimed at expanding open and equitable access to AI technologies.
“AI must belong to everyone,” Guterres said, adding that the technology cannot be left to the “whims of a few billionaires”.
The AI Impact Summit, previously hosted in Paris, Seoul and the United Kingdom, has drawn tens of thousands of participants this year, including world leaders, ministers, technology executives and researchers. The five-day summit concludes on Friday with an expected joint statement outlining policy approaches to AI regulation and cooperation.
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and Google chief executive Sundar Pichai are among prominent industry figures addressing the summit. Microsoft founder Bill Gates withdrew hours before his scheduled speech, with the Gates Foundation stating that his decision was intended to ensure focus remained on the summit’s priorities.
India is positioning itself as a major AI hub, with the government projecting more than $200 billion in related investments over the next two years. During the summit, OpenAI and Tata Consultancy Services announced plans to build hyperscale AI data centre capacity in India. Google confirmed expansion of subsea cable infrastructure under its existing $15 billion AI investment strategy in the country.
Nvidia also announced partnerships with Indian cloud service providers to supply advanced processors for AI data centres. These facilities, designed to train and deploy large-scale AI models, require significant electricity and water resources, raising environmental and energy policy concerns amid global decarbonisation commitments.
The summit marks the first time the global AI gathering has been held in a developing country, reinforcing India’s strategic ambition to expand its digital economy and technological influence. According to Stanford researchers, India recently ranked third globally in AI competitiveness, though it still trails the United States and China in research intensity and advanced chip manufacturing.
Job market disruption remains a key policy concern, particularly in India’s large business process outsourcing and technology support sectors. Researchers and AI safety advocates have called for stronger safeguards against misuse, including deepfake abuse, online fraud and surveillance risks.
Leaders attending the summit are expected to issue a closing statement outlining their shared approach to AI governance, regulation, innovation and sustainability.
