India on Monday began hosting one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence gatherings, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking to position the country as a key player in the race to build advanced AI systems.

The India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi is drawing world leaders, technology executives, AI founders and investors. Among those expected to attend are Sundar Pichai of Alphabet Inc., Sam Altman of OpenAI Inc., Dario Amodei of Anthropic PBC and Alexandr Wang, linked to Meta Platforms Inc. initiatives. AI researchers such as Yann LeCun and Arthur Mensch are also on the guest list.

French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver a keynote address on February 19, followed by remarks from PM Modi during the summit’s concluding sessions.

Leveraging India’s digital infrastructure

The summit is being seen as an opportunity for India to showcase its digital public infrastructure, including the Aadhaar biometric identity system that covers more than a billion people. Officials argue that combining AI with digital identity, payments, health, education and governance platforms could accelerate development across sectors.

India has previously demonstrated rapid technological adoption — transitioning from limited landline penetration to nearly a billion smartphones within two decades and emerging as a global software services hub despite missing the personal computer boom.

The country’s digital identity model has also been exported. MOSIP, an open-source platform inspired by Aadhaar’s framework, is assisting countries such as the Philippines, Morocco and Uganda in building national ID systems. Some are also adopting similar frameworks for digital payments.

India’s position in the AI race

According to Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered AI, India ranks third globally in AI competitiveness, behind the United States and China.

Major AI firms are expanding their footprint in the country. OpenAI and Anthropic are building operations targeting enterprise users, developers and government agencies. Companies such as Google and Meta are increasing data centre capacity to support demand for products like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. Nvidia Corp. has also identified India as an important market amid US export restrictions on high-end chips to China, although its chief executive withdrew from the summit citing unforeseen circumstances.

Focus on local and affordable AI models

At the summit, government-backed BharatGen is set to unveil Param2, a 17-billion-parameter AI model supporting 22 Indian languages. Sarvam AI, supported by global venture investors, will present a larger voice-first model aimed at serving India’s multilingual population.

Developers say these models are designed to lower costs and expand AI access across governance, education, healthcare and agriculture. The emphasis on affordability is intended to accelerate adoption in India and other developing markets.

However, industry observers note that limited historical investment in research and development could pose challenges. Strengthening India’s domestic research ecosystem, they argue, will be key to ensuring the country moves beyond serving as a testing ground for global AI products.

Some entrepreneurs believe India can still narrow the gap by focusing on advanced reasoning systems for science and robotics, particularly as future AI development increasingly depends on data beyond the internet.

The newly elected government in Bangladesh, led by Tarique Rahman and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has expressed its intent to strengthen ties with India through mutual respect, trade and deeper people-to-people engagement.

Humayun Kabir, who oversees international relations for Rahman and is expected to play a key role in the new administration, said the focus will be on building stronger cooperation between citizens of both countries rather than limiting ties to official exchanges.

He indicated that India would be among the countries the new leadership plans to visit, though no specific timeline was shared. “Obviously there are certain domestic priorities and then international engagements. Of course India will be one of the countries that we will visit among other countries in the region,” Kabir said in an interaction with media.

Expanding engagement beyond official visits

Kabir underlined the importance of expanding the scope of bilateral relations beyond high-level diplomatic visits. While acknowledging that reciprocal visits between senior officials are a normal feature of ties between neighbouring nations, he stressed the need to widen engagement across broader sections of society.

He said the BNP-led government intends to deepen cooperation through trade and investment while strengthening grassroots-level connections.

On regional balance and Pakistan ties

Responding to questions about Bangladesh’s approach towards Pakistan during the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus, Kabir said Dhaka’s foreign policy would not be guided by choosing sides in regional tensions.

“It’s normal and we need to normalise relations in the region and regardless of the tensions between India and Pakistan, for us it is not to take sides on this issue,” he said, adding that relations would be shaped by mutual respect and national interest.

Kabir also criticised former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, alleging that her foreign policy approach was perceived as one-sided in its engagement with India. He said the new government seeks to avoid what he described as a country-centric or country-dependent model of diplomacy.

New Delhi’s cautious optimism

From India’s perspective, the decisive electoral outcome in Bangladesh, which delivered a landslide to the BNP, marks the end of the interim phase and opens the possibility of a diplomatic reset.

Indian officials are said to be cautiously optimistic about engaging with Rahman’s leadership. While acknowledging past differences with BNP governments, New Delhi believes the new administration may adopt a pragmatic approach shaped by economic priorities and regional stability concerns.

Petteri Orpo will travel to India from February 17 to 20 to participate in the India AI Impact Summit and hold bilateral discussions with Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Orpo is scheduled to meet PM Modi on February 18. He will also attend the India AI Impact Summit on February 19, which is being hosted in New Delhi.

The Finnish Prime Minister is accompanied by a business delegation comprising representatives of 22 Finnish companies. According to an official release, the visit aims to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, particularly in digitalisation and sustainability.

Focus on AI governance and innovation

The India AI Impact Summit, being held from February 16 to 20 at Bharat Mandapam, will bring together Heads of State and Government, international organisations, AI experts and leading companies from across the globe.

The summit is designed to promote a shared understanding of global AI governance principles and foster international cooperation. Prime Minister Orpo had also taken part in the AI Action Summit in Paris in 2025.

“At the summit, we will highlight Finland’s strengths in the fields of AI policy and innovation. Finland has world-class expertise in AI and the potential to lead the way in its use. At the same time, we will also promote the safe and responsible use of AI,” Orpo said, according to the release.

He noted that geopolitical and economic competition is intensifying, underlining the need for Finland to remain active in global technology discussions. He also emphasised cooperation with like-minded countries while seeking broader international consensus.

During the summit, Orpo will deliver Finland’s national address, visit country pavilions and participate in side events organised by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and National Association of Software and Service Companies. The programme also includes a dinner hosted by PM Modi and other high-level engagements.

Strategic partnership and trade opportunities

The release highlighted India’s growing global role and described bilateral ties as strong and expanding. The inauguration of Finland’s new Consulate General in Mumbai in 2022 was cited as a significant step in strengthening engagement.

Orpo said Finland aims to deepen cooperation with India in the areas of digitalisation and sustainability, reinforcing the new strategic partnership between the two nations.

He also referred to the conclusion of negotiations on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement on January 27, 2026. Talks on the agreement had been underway since 2007, with some interruptions. The pact is expected to improve access for European companies to India’s expanding market and enhance the broader EU-India partnership.

Summit structure and agenda

The India AI Impact Summit will revolve around three pillars — People, Planet and Progress. Discussions will focus on employment and skilling, sustainable and energy-efficient AI, and economic as well as social development.

Seven thematic working groups, co-chaired by representatives from the Global North and Global South, will present deliverables such as proposals for AI Commons, trusted AI tools, shared compute infrastructure and sector-specific AI use case compendiums.

The event will also address AI safety, governance, ethical use, data protection and India’s approach to sovereign AI, including the development of indigenous foundation models for strategic sectors.

An AI Impact Expo will showcase practical AI applications in healthcare, agriculture, education, climate action, energy efficiency and accessibility. The summit will further spotlight national skilling initiatives, including “Yuva AI for All”, a free course aimed at building basic AI awareness among students and professionals.