A five-day international summit on artificial intelligence (AI) concluded on Feb. 20 in New Delhi, India, representing an important entrance of a developing nation into the global competition to develop and control AI capabilities.
The AI Impact Summit had over 250,000 registered attendees and featured appearances from technology executives and representatives from national governments across the globe, including the United States and China—the current leaders in AI development that combined control 85% of the global industry. But for India, a nation that has straddled geopolitical dividing lines for decades, hosting the summit was a chance to introduce itself as another player in global technological advancement.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the opportunity to position his nation as an emerging tech hub. His nation has a population of over one billion and a burgeoning tech industry with a significant labor force.
Modi also took his position as the unofficial spokesman for developing nations, advocating for utilizing AI to benefit the nations of the “Global South.” During the summit, two domestic companies announced combined pledges of $210 billion in AI investments. American AI companies OpenAI and Anthropic also announced agreements with Indian firms.
India’s influence on the summit’s objectives was apparent within the final non-binding declaration signed by 88 attending countries, including the U.S. and China. Among the declaration’s pledges was “democratizing” AI and ensuring it is secure and trustworthy.
Similar sentiments were echoed by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, who denounced AI development being controlled by “the whims of a few billionaires,” and French President Emmanuel Macron, who called for AI safeguards amid European scrutiny of American AIs such as Elon Musk’s Grok, which has been under fire in Europe for producing sexualized deepfake images of children and adults. France is also home to its own AI startup, Mistral, which has earned support from Macron and other Europeans who want to break U.S. AI dominance.
Despite the successes and sentiments expressed, the summit was not without hiccups and controversies. Attendees and journalists reported difficulties entering the venue amid confusion by security personnel. Heavy security during Modi’s presence also prevented many from entering.
Representatives from India’s Galgotias University were expelled from the event after passing off a robotic dog as their own creation. The robodog was a model purchased from a Chinese company.
Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was expected to deliver a keynote address at the summit but withdrew due to controversy surrounding his connections to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The CEO of computer chipmaker Nvidia, Jensen Huang, was also absent after contracting an illness.
Divisions between tech CEOs were also present during the inaugural session when Modi had company executives on stage beside him in an attempted show of unity. The prime minister and executives then formed a human chain with their arms raised with one notable break in the chain—OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. The two companies have been engaged in a rivalry as both promote and develop their respective chatbots ChatGPT and Claude.
