Digital India Ask Our Experts Highlights India AI Impact Summit 2026 as a Turning Point in the Nation’s AI Journey
The 38th episode of Digital India Ask Our Experts, held on 9 January 2026, spotlighted the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026 as a defining event for India’s Artificial Intelligence ecosystem. The discussion positioned the summit as a landmark moment that will shape the nation’s path towards responsible, inclusive, and human-centred AI development.
Shaping the Future through People, Planet, and Progress
Officials from IndiaAI and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) — including Shikha Dahiya, Joint Director for Emerging Technology, MeitY; Kartik Shobhan Suri, General Manager for Future Skills, IndiaAI; Swadeep Singh, General Manager for Data Science, IndiaAI; and Anshul Singhal, General Manager for Startups, IndiaAI — engaged directly with citizens, startups, students, and professionals. They answered questions about India’s AI roadmap, skill development, startup growth, and real-world applications.
Experts explained that the India AI Impact Summit 2026 is organised around three guiding principles, or Sutras: People, Planet, and Progress. Each pillar will be supported by focused working groups known as Chakras, designed to drive actionable insights. The discussions and outcomes from these groups are expected to influence AI policy, skill-building frameworks, and implementation strategies across India and the Global South.
Empowering Startups and Youth through Real-World AI Applications
The episode emphasised new opportunities for youth, women innovators, and learners in smaller cities, highlighting initiatives such as AI & Data Labs, global innovation challenges, pitch fests, and the YUVAI Global Youth Challenge. These programmes aim to strengthen India’s AI talent base and ensure that digital innovation reaches every corner of the country.
Participants also received details about the India AI Impact Expo 2026, scheduled from 16 to 20 February at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The Expo will showcase real-world AI applications across key sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, and governance, illustrating how AI can drive social and economic transformation with people at its centre.
Inclusive AI and Citizen Participation
During the live session, citizens raised questions about AI infrastructure, open data access, healthcare datasets, startup participation, and digital inclusion for non-technical users. Experts assured that IndiaAI is developing open, secure, and inclusive AI platforms to ensure broad participation from individuals, public organisations, and emerging startups.
The discussion concluded with a call to action for citizens to register and participate actively in the summit via impact.indiaai.gov.in, becoming contributors to India’s expanding AI ecosystem.
Direct Dialogue with Citizens
Digital India – Ask Our Experts continues to serve as a flagship interactive initiative under the Digital India programme. It connects citizens with government specialists through live sessions that explain key policies and digital initiatives in simple terms. Episode 38 witnessed enthusiastic participation from viewers across the country, who appreciated the clear and practical responses from experts.
The full recording of the session is available on the Digital India YouTube channel. For regular updates on future episodes and Digital India initiatives, citizens can visit digitalindia.gov.in and negd.gov.in.
with inputs from PIB