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    COVER STORY                                                        FEBRUARY 27, 2026       |  The Indian Eye                    5

            sued 500 million digital health IDs.                                                                  lenges. “First is the challenge of gov-
            Here are the results. They call it the                                                                ernance and accountability. Second
            India Stack Open Interoperable Sov-                                                                   is the problem of human impact…
            ereign,” he said.                                                                                     Last is the security problem,” he said.
                For  India, this record  strength-                                                                    Modi himself drew a historical
            ens its claim that it can similarly scale                                                             parallel with nuclear power. “The
            AI for public good.                                                                                   real question today is not what Artifi-
                From User to Sovereign                                                                            cial Intelligence can do in the future.
                        Builder                                                                                   The question is, what do we do with
                                                                                                                  Artificial  Intelligence  in  the  pres-
               f digital infrastructure was India’s                                                               ent?” he asked, stressing the need
               first technological leap, AI is be-                                                                for responsibility alongside ambition.
            Iing framed as the next. Professor                                                                        “AI is a transformative power.
            Manoj Singh Gaur, Founding Direc-                                                                     If directionless, it becomes a disrup-
            tor of IIT Jammu, argued that India                                                                   tion; if the right direction is found, it
            must build sovereign AI models tai-                                                                   becomes a solution,” he said.
            lored to national needs.                                                                                   Global Participation
                “The opportunity here is that we
            can create our own models, which we                                                                          lobal technology firms played
            will. The models which are contextu-                                                                         a prominent role at the India
            al to India and they are not entirely                                                                 GAI Impact Summit 2026, un-
            dependent on the Western central-                                                                     derscoring India’s growing centrali-
            ized model, but they are our own.    PM Modi with Brazilian President Lula da Silva (center) at the India AI Impact Summit at   ty in the global artificial intelligence
            They are sovereign model, sovereign        Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi, on Thursday (DPR PMO/ANI Photo)  ecosystem. The presence of multina-
            technology for our use, data for pub-                                                                 tional companies, senior executives
            lic good or governance for public   ing here in India in the AI space…   Managing the Risks           and investors signalled that India is
            good,” he said.                   The opportunities are hugely signifi-                               no longer viewed merely as a talent
                This emphasis on sovereignty                                          et the Summit was not a cele-  pool but as a strategic AI market and
            reflects  geopolitical  realities.  AI  is   cant at this moment.”        bration without caution. Palo   innovation hub.
                                                  The India-UK Comprehensive
            increasingly seen as a strategic asset,   Economic and Trade Agreement   YAlto  Networks  CEO  Nikesh     French and European partici-
            with countries racing to secure com-  (CETA), signed in 2025, is facilitat-  Arora warned that AI’s speed may   pation further reinforced India’s at-
            pute power, talent and regulatory   ing talent mobility and cross-border   outpace governance.        tractiveness as a partner in emerging
            influence. By anchoring the Summit   innovation. Lammy noted that the   “I have never seen anything that   technologies. From AI research and
            in the Global South, India signalled   UK is easing visa processes to attract   has moved so fast in the technolog-  higher education collaborations to
            its intent to bridge the North-South   Indian AI talent, underscoring how   ical perspective. The moment when   joint  innovation  zones,  global  firms
            divide in technology governance.  AI is reshaping labor and investment   ChatGPT  came  out,  it  changed  ev-  signalled long-term commitment
                Netherlands Prime Minister                                      erything,” he said. “AI is accelerating   rather than exploratory engagement.
            Dick Schoof described AI as “boom-  flows.                          faster than our institutions and gov-  Their participation at a summit
                                                  France, too, linked AI coopera-
            ing here in India” and called for   tion  with its  broader  strategic part-  ernance  framework.  This  widening   hosted in the Global South highlight-
            “international cooperation among   nership with India, launching the   gap, if not handled right, is going to   ed a broader shift: multinational AI
            like-minded countries to responsi-  Year of Innovation 2026 during Ma-  become a tangible threat.”    players increasingly see India not just
            bly accelerate the development of   cron’s visit.                       Arora identified governance, hu-  as a market to enter, but as a co-ar-
            AI.” He added that “middle powers                                   man impact and security as key chal-  chitect of the future digital order.
            need to take the lead… serving as                                                                            Leading by Scale
            a bridge between the Global North
            and South.”                                                                                              IT Ropar Director Ahuja was un-
                Norway’s Minister of Digita-                                                                         equivocal: “India is going to lead
            lization,  Karianne  Oldernes  Tung,                                                                  Ithe AI world… We will be the top
            echoed this sentiment. “Even a small                                                                  country in the world when it comes to
            country like Norway can learn a lot                                                                   AI.”
            from India on this,” she said, refer-                                                                     Whether that prediction ma-
            ring to India’s success in scaling digi-                                                              terializes will depend on execution
            tal identity and payments for 1.4 bil-                                                                — from building indigenous models
            lion people.                                                                                          and data governance frameworks to
               Economic Diplomacy and                                                                             ensuring inclusive deployment across
                      Investment                                                                                  agriculture, healthcare and educa-
                                                                                                                  tion.
                  I is also becoming central to                                                                       What is clear, however, is that
                  India’s economic diplomacy.                                                                     India has entered the AI race with
            AUK Deputy Prime Minister                                                                             confidence.  Armed  with  a  track  re-
            David Lammy revealed that around                                                                      cord of digital public infrastructure
            150 British companies are already                                                                     at unprecedented scale and buoyed
            operating in India’s AI sector.                                                                       by international recognition, New
                “It’s been so exciting to be here                                                                 Delhi is positioning itself not just as
            in India… and centering the Global                                                                    a beneficiary of artificial intelligence,
            South,” Lammy said. “Building on    People during the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi, on Thursday.   but as a country determined to lead
            our free trade agreement, we’ve al-                      (PIB Photo Gallery/ANI Photo)                its next chapter — for itself and for
            ready got 150 UK companies work-                                                                      the Global South.

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