Google CEO Sundar Pichai arrived in New Delhi on February 18 to take part in the India AI Impact Summit 2026, where he will deliver the keynote address on February 20.
The summit, being organised at Bharat Mandapam, began on February 16 and will wrap up on February 20.
Soon after reaching India, Pichai shared a post on X, saying he was happy to be back for the AI Impact Summit and thanked people for the warm welcome. He also mentioned that the newspapers he saw after landing “looked great”.
The event has attracted participants from more than 110 countries along with around 30 international organisations. Nearly 20 heads of state or government and about 45 ministers are attending, underlining the growing global focus on artificial intelligence.
In an interview with ANI’s text service, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the importance of AI for India’s economy. He said the country’s IT sector has long been the backbone of services exports and a major contributor to growth, but AI now brings both big opportunities and new challenges.
Referring to industry projections, Modi said India’s IT sector could touch the $400 billion mark by 2030, powered by AI-driven outsourcing and specialised automation across sectors.
Organisers have described the summit as the first major global AI gathering to be hosted in the Global South. The discussions are centred on governance, safety and the wider social impact of AI, and are built around three key themes — People, Planet and Progress — with the aim of promoting inclusive and sustainable technological development.