Shaping a human-centric future for AI

AT A defining moment in human history, the world gathered at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi from Feb 16 to 20. For us in India, it was a moment of immense pride and joy to welcome heads of state, heads of government, delegates and innovators from across the world.

India brings scale and energy to everything it does, and this summit was no exception.

Representatives from more than 100 nations came together. Innovators showcased cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) products and services. Thousands of young people were seen in the exhibition halls, asking questions and imagining possibilities. Their curiosity made this the largest and most democratised AI summit in the world.

I see this as an important moment in India’s development journey, because a mass movement for AI innovation and adoption has truly taken off.

Human history has witnessed many technological shifts that have changed the course of civilisation. AI belongs in the same league as fire, writing, electricity and the Internet. But with AI, changes that once took decades can unfold within weeks and have an impact on the entire planet.

AI is making machines intelligent, but it is even more a force multiplier for human intent.

Making AI human-centric instead of machine-centric is vital. At this summit, we placed human well-being at the heart of the global AI conversation, with the principle of “Sarvajana hitaya, sarvajana sukhaya” – meaning “welfare for all, happiness of all” in Sanskrit.

I have always believed that technology must serve people, not the other way around. Whether it is Covid-19 vaccinations or digital payments through UPI (Unified Payments Interface), we have ensured that digital public infrastructure reaches everyone, leaving none behind.

I could see the same spirit in the summit, in the work of our innovators in domains such as agriculture, security, assistance for Divyangjan – persons with disabilities – and tools for multilingual populations.

There are already examples of the empowering potential of AI in India. Recently, Sarlaben, an AI-powered digital assistant launched by Indian dairy cooperative Amul, is providing real-time guidance to 3.6 million dairy farmers, mostly women, about cattle health and productivity in their own language.

Similarly, an AI-based multilingual platform called Bharat-Vistaar empowers farmers with information about everything from weather conditions to market prices.

Humans must never become mere data points or raw material for machines. Instead, AI must become a tool for global good, opening new doors of progress for the Global South. To translate this vision into action, India presented the Manav framework for human-centric AI governance:

M – Moral and ethical systems: AI should be based on ethical guidelines.

A – Accountable governance: Transparent rules and robust oversight.

N – National sovereignty: Respect for national rights over data.

A – Accessible and inclusive: AI should not be a monopoly.

V – Valid and legitimate: AI must adhere to laws and be verifiable.

Manav, which means “human” in many Indian languages, offers principles that anchor AI in human values in the 21st century.

Building trust

Trust is the foundation upon which AI’s future rests. As generative systems flood the world with content, democratic societies face risks from deepfakes and disinformation.

Just as food carries nutrition labels, digital content must carry authenticity labels. I urge the global community to come together to create shared standards for watermarking and source verification. India has already taken a step in this direction by legally requiring clear labelling of synthetically generated content.

The welfare of our children is a matter close to our hearts. AI systems must be built with safeguards that encourage responsible, family-guided engagement, reflecting the same care we bring to education systems worldwide.

Technology yields its greatest benefit when shared, rather than guarded as a strategic asset. Open platforms can help millions of youth contribute to making technology safer and more human-centric. This collective intelligence is humanity’s greatest strength. AI must evolve as a global common good.

We are entering an era where humans and intelligent systems will co-create, co-work and co-evolve. Entirely new professions will emerge. When the Internet began, no one could imagine the possibilities. It ended up creating a huge number of new opportunities. So will AI.

I am confident that our empowered youth will be the true drivers of the AI age. We are encouraging skilling, reskilling and lifelong learning by running some of the largest and most diverse skilling programmes in the world.

India is home to one of the world’s largest youth populations and technology talent. With our energy capacity and policy clarity, we are uniquely positioned to harness AI’s full potential. At this summit, I was proud to see Indian companies launch indigenous AI models and applications, reflecting the technological depth of our young innovation community.

To fuel the growth of our AI ecosystem, we are building a robust infrastructure foundation. Under the India AI Mission, we have deployed thousands of graphics processing units and are set to deploy more soon. By accessing world-class computing power at highly affordable rates, even the smallest startups can become global players.

Furthermore, we have established a national AI repository, democratising access to datasets and AI models. We are focusing on the complete value chain – from semiconductors and data infrastructure to vibrant startups and applied research.

India’s diversity, democracy and demographic dynamism provide the right atmosphere for inclusive innovation. Solutions that succeed in India can serve humanity everywhere. That is why our invitation to the world is: Design and develop in India. Deliver to the world. Deliver to humanity.

The writer is the prime minister of India