India is placing a massive strategic bet on artificial intelligence to supercharge its economy and achieve developed nation status by 2047. However, a critical question looms: can this technological revolution drive growth that is broad-based and equitable, rather than deepening existing divides? The upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, set for mid-February, will bring global leaders and tech CEOs to the forefront of this debate.
India's Rising Stature on the Global AI Map
India's progress in the AI domain is gaining significant international recognition. After chairing the Global Partnership on AI Council in 2024, the country is now preparing to host a major five-day summit. Heads of state and top executives from firms like Google DeepMind, Anthropic, Adobe, Salesforce, and Qualcomm are expected to attend, signaling India's growing influence in a field long dominated by the US and China.
This prominence is backed by solid projections. A Niti Aayog report, AI for Viksit Bharat, estimates that AI adoption could add a staggering $17 to $26 trillion to the global economy in the next decade. India is positioned to capture a significant 10-15% slice of this value, leveraging its vast STEM workforce, expanding research base, and digital infrastructure. Reflecting this momentum, Stanford's Global Vibrancy Tool ranked India fourth globally in AI in late 2024, before moving it up to third place in 2025.
The Productivity Promise and the Inclusivity Challenge
The government's vision is clear: AI is a "decisive lever" to push economic growth towards an 8% annual trajectory, essential for the 2047 development goal. The mechanism for this is boosting productivity and efficiency across industries through widespread AI integration.
Concrete steps are underway to build capacity. The IndiaAI Mission is improving access to critical computing power, while data-centre capacity is expanding rapidly. The approval of 10 new semiconductor plants aims to strengthen the electronics ecosystem. For broader inclusion, startups are developing Indian-language and voice models, crucial for a population where many are not fully literate. The AI Kosh repository, with nearly 6,000 local datasets, provides an innovation backbone tied to India's digital public infrastructure like Aadhaar and UPI.
Yet, the core challenge remains democratization. A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report, The Next Great Divergence, offers a sobering perspective. While AI could lift GDP growth by about two percentage points and raise sectoral productivity by up to 5%, these gains may not be evenly distributed. Economists widely fear that without deliberate intervention, AI could displace jobs, concentrate power, and exacerbate inequalities.
Bridging the Divide: Policy and Action for Equitable AI
Fortunately, the UNDP report also identifies India as being well-placed to steer a more inclusive AI transition. Early initiatives are already visible. Niti Aayog's October 2025 report, AI for Inclusive Societal Development, highlights programs like the Digital ShramSetu Mission. This initiative uses AI tools to enhance productivity and resilience for millions of informal sector workers by improving their access to healthcare, education, skilling, and finance.
The theme of the 2026 summit, 'Democratising AI, Bridging the AI Divide,' aptly captures the necessary focus. Building on previous international meetings in Bletchley Park, Seoul, Paris, and Kigali, the event underscores a global consensus on the need for equitable development. The path forward involves a careful "techno-legal" approach that balances rapid innovation with necessary guardrails through targeted investment and policy enablers.
The ultimate test for India's AI journey will not be measured solely in trillions of dollars added to GDP or global rankings climbed. True success will be defined by how effectively the benefits of artificial intelligence permeate through all layers of society, ensuring that the march towards a 'Viksit Bharat' leaves no one behind.
