Visitors sit in front of a banner of India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
The third day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 is upon us, brought on by light showers in New Delhi. The event, being held at the Bharat Mandapam across 10 arenas covering 70,000 square metres, includes delegates from a myriad countries and the who’s who of the AI world.
Key events at India AI Summit today
Today, the India AI Impact Summit is primarily dedicated to bridging the gap between academic research and industrial application. While the formal grand inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled for Thursday, today features several high-impact technical and industry-focused sessions.
1. Research Symposium (Center Stage)
Organised in partnership with IIIT Hyderabad, this is the principal academic platform of the summit.
• Frontier Research: Presentation of cutting-edge AI research from across the Global South.
• Poster Showcase: A display of 250+ research submissions focusing on AI-driven scientific discovery and safety frameworks.
• Global South Showcase: Emphasis on equitable access to compute and research collaboration among developing nations.
2. Industry & Innovation Sessions
These sessions bring together global technology leaders and startups to discuss real-world deployments.
• Democratizing Compute: A key panel (1:30 PM – 2:30 PM) featuring executives from Nvidia, IBM, Qualcomm, and HP India discussing regional infrastructure.
• AI by HER: Finalists of the Global Impact Challenge for women-led startups will demo their solutions at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan.
• IndiaAI Tinkerpreneur: An announcement session for the winners of the national student bootcamp and hackathons.
3. Key Governance & Policy Releases
• Governance Guidelines: The formal release of the India AI Governance Guidelines.
• Mineral Targeting Hackathon: Announcement of the winners of the IndiaAI Hackathon on Mineral Targeting.
4. AI Impact Expo
The massive 70,000 sq. mt. expo remains open to registered visitors.
• Thematic Pavilions: 300+ exhibitors from 30 countries are showcasing “Sovereign AI” models and hardware.
• Interactive Demos: Features like AI-powered cricket coaching (at the Google pavilion) and AI applications in traditional crafts (weaving).
…Read More
Key events at India AI Summit today
Today, the India AI Impact Summit is primarily dedicated to bridging the gap between academic research and industrial application. While the formal grand inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled for Thursday, today features several high-impact technical and industry-focused sessions.
1. Research Symposium (Center Stage)
Organised in partnership with IIIT Hyderabad, this is the principal academic platform of the summit.
• Frontier Research: Presentation of cutting-edge AI research from across the Global South.
• Poster Showcase: A display of 250+ research submissions focusing on AI-driven scientific discovery and safety frameworks.
• Global South Showcase: Emphasis on equitable access to compute and research collaboration among developing nations.
2. Industry & Innovation Sessions
These sessions bring together global technology leaders and startups to discuss real-world deployments.
• Democratizing Compute: A key panel (1:30 PM – 2:30 PM) featuring executives from Nvidia, IBM, Qualcomm, and HP India discussing regional infrastructure.
• AI by HER: Finalists of the Global Impact Challenge for women-led startups will demo their solutions at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan.
• IndiaAI Tinkerpreneur: An announcement session for the winners of the national student bootcamp and hackathons.
3. Key Governance & Policy Releases
• Governance Guidelines: The formal release of the India AI Governance Guidelines.
• Mineral Targeting Hackathon: Announcement of the winners of the IndiaAI Hackathon on Mineral Targeting.
4. AI Impact Expo
The massive 70,000 sq. mt. expo remains open to registered visitors.
• Thematic Pavilions: 300+ exhibitors from 30 countries are showcasing “Sovereign AI” models and hardware.
• Interactive Demos: Features like AI-powered cricket coaching (at the Google pavilion) and AI applications in traditional crafts (weaving).
Follow all the updates here:
Feb 18, 2026 9:37:25 AM IST
India AI Summit LIVE: The ‘robot dog’ controversy
Galgotias University has clarified that the “robodog” it showed at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 was not developed in-house, and that it never made such a claim. That, despite a video showing a professor of the university saying that the robodog was built in-house.
Feb 18, 2026 9:29:31 AM IST
India AI Summit LIVE: Traffic advisory for New Delhi
The Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory that will be in effect from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm today, on account of the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam.
Commuters are advised to plan their travel in advance, avoid affected stretches, and follow directions issued by traffic personnel deployed on duty. Authorities have suggested the following alternate routes to ease congestion during the specified hours. (read more)
Feb 18, 2026 9:25:10 AM IST
India AI Summit LIVE: Nvidia explains Jensen Huang’s absence
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang could not make it to the India AI Summit as he has caught a bug after three weeks on incessant travel, South Asia MD Vishal Dhupar said.
“Aren’t we all missing Jensen? Everywhere I’m going, everyone is asking (about) Jensen,” he said. “Jensen has travelled for three straight weeks, he caught a bug, he is under the weather.”
“We hope he is well soon, but we are delighted that we have Jay Puri leading a delegation to India and celebrate this very important week where the India AI Summit will demonstrate the power of India.”
Feb 18, 2026 9:11:48 AM IST
India AI Summit LIVE: Sundar Pichai lands in New Delhi
Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai has landed in New Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit 2026. He is set to participate in an exclusive session tomorrow at the Bharat Mandapam.
“Nice to be back in India for the AI Impact Summit — a very warm welcome as always and the papers looked great too:),” he wrote on X.
