New Delhi, February 18 Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed world leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva, to the ongoing AI Impact Summit here on Wednesday, and held nine bilateral meetings with heads of state and CEOs.
World leaders, including Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Disanayaka and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, were welcomed with a variety of traditional musical instruments, including drums, nadaswaram, and tanpura, and the prime minister greeted them with a warm handshake and friendly conversation.
Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic, Seychelles Vice President Sebastien Pillay, Estonia President Alar Karis, and Finland Prime Minister Petteri Orpo were among those welcomed by Modi at the brightly decorated Bharat Mandapam.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Guyanese Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo were also among the leaders welcomed by the prime minister.
Modi held seven bilateral meetings with world leaders and two with global CEOs, discussing issues of mutual interest with them.
The leaders with whom Modi held bilaterals included Bhutan’s Tobgay, Spain President Pedro Sanchez, and Croatia’s Plenkovic, among others.
The prime minister also held separate meetings with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founder of Khosla Ventures.
“Had a fruitful discussion with Croatian Prime Minister, Mr. Andrej Plenkovic. We discussed how to enhance our bilateral partnership in areas such as technology, innovation, shipbuilding, the blue economy, and boosting connectivity through the IMEEC corridor,” Modi said on X after his meeting with his Croatian counterpart.
In another post after meeting with the Estonian president, Modi said, “Had an excellent meeting with Estonian President Alar Karis, a nation that has made remarkable strides in technology and AI. We discussed how to further strengthen our economic partnership, particularly in the context of the India-EU FTA, which is a historical agreement.”
The AI Impact Summit is being held from February 16-20 at the Bharat Mandapam, in which more than 500 global AI leaders, 150 academics and researchers, and 400 chief technology officers, vice-presidents, and philanthropists are taking part.
On Thursday, Modi will address the Summit, which aims to position the country as a leader in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and envisions a future where technology advances humanity and fosters inclusive growth.
Modi will also hold bilaterals with several world leaders attending the Summit, an official statement said.
Along with Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron, UN Secretary-General Guterres, and various top industry leaders from across the world will also address the Summit on Thursday.
Modi will also visit the India AI Impact Expo 2026 along with other leaders, where they will visit the pavilions set up by various countries.
Modi will then participate in the Leaders' Plenary, which will take place around 12 noon onwards, bringing together heads of state, ministers, and senior representatives from multilateral institutions to outline the national and global priorities of AI, including governance, infrastructure, and international cooperation.
The prime minister will later participate in a CEO roundtable from 5.30 pm onwards, in which senior executives from global technology and industry firms will discuss investment, research collaboration, supply chains, and the deployment of AI systems with the government leadership.
On Wednesday evening, the prime minister hosted a dinner for the heads of state and global dignitaries.
Tagging photos of the dinner, Modi posted on X, "Enjoying dinner with world leaders at the AI Impact Summit and cultural program."
He also posted photos of cultural performances at the Summit, saying, "The cultural program at Bharat Mandapam showcased India's rich heritage and traditions!"
The theme of India AI Impact Summit 2026 is 'Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay' (welfare for all, happiness of all).
Seven working groups are anchoring the Summit, aligned to three pillars – people, planet, and progress – focusing on delivering concrete outcomes demonstrating AI's impact across sectors.
The seven themes of the Summit are AI for Economic Growth and Social Good; Democratising AI Resources; Inclusion for Social Empowerment; Safe and Trusted AI; Human Capital; Science; and Resilience, Innovation, and Efficiency.
