Modi pitches India as global artificial intelligence hub at AI summit
[February 19, 2026]
NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday pitched
India as a central player in the global artificial intelligence
ecosystem, saying the country aims to build technology at home while
deploying it worldwide.
“Design and develop in India. Deliver to the world. Deliver to
humanity,” Modi told a gathering of some world leaders, technology
executives and policymakers at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
Modi’s remarks came as India — one of the fastest-growing digital
markets — seeks to leverage its experience in building large-scale
digital public infrastructure and to present itself as a cost-effective
hub for AI innovation.
The summit was also addressed by French President Emmanuel Macron,
Google CEO Sundar Pichai and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres,
who called for a $3 billion fund to help poorer countries build basic AI
capacity, including skills, data access and affordable computing power.
“The future of AI cannot be decided by a handful of countries, or left
to the whims of a few billionaires,” Guterres said, stressing that AI
must “belong to everyone.”
India aims to ramp up its AI scale
India is using the summit to position itself as a bridge between
advanced economies and the Global South. Indian officials cite the
country’s digital ID and online payments systems as a model for
deploying AI at low cost, particularly in developing countries.
“We must democratize AI. It must become a tool for inclusion and
empowerment, particularly for the Global South,” Modi said.
With nearly 1 billion internet users, India has become a key market for
global technology companies expanding their AI businesses.
Last December, Microsoft announced a $17.5 billion investment over four
years to expand cloud and AI infrastructure in India. It followed
Google’s $15 billion investment over five years, including plans for its
first AI hub in the country. Amazon has also pledged $35 billion by
2030, targeting AI-driven digitization.
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India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seventh left, poses for
photographs with chief executive officers of various AI groups
during the AI Summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026.
(Indian Prime Minister's Office via AP)
 India is also seeking up to $200
billion in data center investment in the coming years.
The country, however, lags in developing its own large-scale AI
model like U.S.-based OpenAI or China’s DeepSeek, highlighting
challenges such as limited access to advanced semiconductor chips,
data centers and hundreds of local languages to learn from.
The summit has faced troubles
The summit opened Monday with organizational glitches, as attendees
and exhibitors reported long lines and delays, and some complained
on social media that personal belongings and display items had been
stolen. Organizers later said the items were recovered.
Problems resurfaced Wednesday when a private Indian university was
expelled from the summit after a staff member showcased a
commercially available Chinese-made robotic dog while claiming it as
the institution’s own innovation.
The setbacks continued Thursday when Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates
withdrew from a scheduled keynote address. No reason was given,
though the Gates Foundation said the move was intended “to ensure
the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities.”
Gates is facing questions over his ties to late sex offender Jeffrey
Epstein.
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