In New Delhi, the 2026 AI Impact Summit concluded with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact. This declaration commits 88 countries and international organizations to ensuring that the benefits of artificial intelligence are "equitably shared across humanity."
The declaration, which emphasizes a collaborative, trusted, resilient, and efficient approach to AI systems, reflects India's commitment to "AI for All," rooted in equity, access, and global cooperation.
Guided by the principle of "welfare for all, happiness for all," the declaration highlights that AI's potential can only be realized when its benefits are shared. It calls for strengthened international cooperation, multi-stakeholder engagement, and respect for national sovereignty while advancing accessible and trustworthy AI frameworks.
According to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the world has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's human-centric AI vision, which involves democratizing AI resources so that AI facilities, services, and technology can reach everyone in society.
The declaration is structured around seven key areas: democratizing AI resources, economic growth and social good, secure and trusted AI, AI for science, access for social empowerment, human capital development, and resilient, efficient, and innovative AI systems.
The official release stated that the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact marked a significant milestone in global cooperation on artificial intelligence. The declaration has been endorsed by 88 countries and international organizations, reflecting a broad-based global consensus on leveraging AI for economic growth and social good.
The list of endorsing countries includes the US, China, the UK, Russia, France, Australia, Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Ethiopia, Japan, Italy, Israel, and Ireland.
Other countries on the list include Indonesia, Iran, Hungary, Greece, Germany, Finland, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, The Philippines, Peru, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, the UAE, Ukraine, the EU, and IFAD.
A total of approximately 118 countries participated in the India AI Impact Summit, which was held in New Delhi.
One key outcome of the summit is the Charter for the Democratic Diffusion of AI, a voluntary framework aimed at expanding affordable access to foundational AI resources and strengthening local innovation ecosystems.
The Global AI Impact Commons is positioned as a platform to scale and replicate successful AI use cases across countries.
To promote trust and safety, the declaration highlights Trusted AI Commons, a collaborative repository of technical tools, benchmarks, and best practices, as well as the development of secure and trustworthy AI systems.
An International Network of AI for Science Institutions will connect scientific communities globally to bolster AI-driven research capabilities, while the "AI for Social Empowerment" platform aims to widen equitable access to knowledge and services.
Other deliverables include an AI workforce development playbook and reskilling principles (supporting AI skilling, reskilling, and literacy, and preparing nations for an AI-driven economy); and guiding principles on resilient and efficient AI (with a focus on energy-efficient AI systems, and supported by a playbook on AI infrastructure resilience).
The declaration also emphasizes energy-efficient AI systems and resilient infrastructure, recognizing the rising demands of AI on power and natural resources.
Voluntary Guiding Principles on Resilient, Innovative, and Efficient AI, alongside a Playbook on AI Infrastructure Resilience, were acknowledged as reference frameworks.
According to the official release, participants reaffirmed their commitment to advancing shared global priorities in AI governance; promoting voluntary, non-binding frameworks; and translating vision into action through continued collaboration.
The broad-based endorsement – cutting across advanced economies, developing nations, and multilateral bodies – signals growing convergence around responsible and inclusive AI governance, with the summit positioning India as a key convenor in shaping the global AI agenda.
While earlier global gatherings, including the UK's AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park (2023), the Seoul Summit (2024), and the Paris meet (2025) placed significant emphasis on frontier risks, safety guardrails, and voluntary commitments, India widened the lens to foreground AI's developmental impact and real-world applications that can drive economic growth, social inclusion, and sustainability.
At the AI Action Summit in Paris in February 2025, 61 nations, including India, China, France, Germany, and the African Union, were signatories to the declaration prioritizing safe, ethical, open, and inclusive AI development.
The India AI Summit featured a blockbuster lineup of CEOs, including Google's Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Microsoft's Brad Smith, and Anthropic's Dario Amodei, as discussions spanned most intensely-debated global topics in the tech universe, from AI's opportunities and risks, all the way to AGI, governance, and the future of jobs.
The collective presence of these influential tech voices under one roof elevated the Summit proceedings to a center of gravity for global tech deliberations throughout the week. The first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South, the event saw India – which has consistently championed the voice of developing economies in digital policy forums – push for equitable access to AI resources and fair rule-making.
The AI Impact Summit secured investment commitments of over USD 250 billion in infrastructure, with Vaishnaw stating that it was a "grand success."
Vaishnaw had said participation at the summit crossed five lakh visitors, reflecting strong domestic and global engagement with India's AI push. The India AI Impact Summit brought together global policymakers, industry leaders, and technology experts, with India positioning itself as a key player in international discussions on AI governance and infrastructure development.
"The quality of participation and dialogue was phenomenal," Vaishnaw had said.
The investment pledges crossed USD 250 billion for infrastructure and about USD 20 billion on VC/deep tech investments.
Vaishnaw had said the Summit reflected the world's confidence in India's role in the new AI age.
