Hon’ble Minister of State’s Speech on “From Action to Impact: A Curtain Raiser to the AI Impact Summit”

Title: A Curtain Raiser to the AI Impact Summit

Venue – Conference Room 4, UN Headquarters

Day, Date & Time – Tuesday, 16th December 2025 | 3 PM-4:15PM

Duration of Speech: 6 mins

Main discussion point: AI Impact Summit

Good afternoon, Excellencies, distinguished panellists, ladies and gentlemen.

It is a pleasure to join my distinguished panellists. The title of today’s discussion, “From Action to Impact”, captures precisely where the global AI conversation stands today.

Over the last few years, the world has moved with remarkable speed in recognising that artificial intelligence is no longer a speculative technology. It is now agreed that AI is already reshaping economies, labour markets, and even the relationship between citizens and the state. With this recognition has come a shared understanding that democratizing AI’s benefits require deliberate interventions and collective action.

The journey of the Global AI Summits reflects this evolution.

At Bletchley Park, the world came together around a common concern: the systemic risks of advanced AI systems. It was a necessary starting point, establishing trust among governments and acknowledging that uncoordinated approaches were no longer sufficient.

That conversation broadened further in Seoul, where questions of ethics, inclusion, and responsible deployment came to the fore. The focus shifted from only frontier risks to how AI systems are designed, deployed, and governed.

Then came the AI Action Summit in Paris, co-chaired by India and France. Paris marked a decisive point. It asked a different question—not just what principles should guide AI, but how do we operationalise them?

The Action Summit stood out for both its process and its outcomes. The five core themes were critical to explore the unique dimensions of AI. The discussions in these themes led to the declaration at the Action Summit, which recognised that responsible AI must be human-centric, inclusive, and development-oriented.

India’s engagement at the Action Summit was shaped by a clear vision articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji. As he noted, "AI is writing the code for humanity in this century" and called for global cooperation on ethical and inclusive AI. He noted that ensuring universal access to AI, especially for the Global South, is a central priority. Technology, he observed, changes the nature of work rather than eliminating it, making skilling and re-skilling essential for an AI-driven future.

For billions of people, especially in the Global South, the central question is no longer whether AI frameworks exist, but whether AI is delivering outcomes that matter. Does it improve access to healthcare for underserved communities? Does it help farmers manage climate risk? Does it enhance education systems, public service delivery, and livelihoods? Or does it risk widening the very inequalities we are trying to address? This is where impact becomes the defining lens.

It is in this background that India will host the AI Impact Summit in February 2026 in New Delhi. For the first time, this global series of AI summits will be hosted in the Global South. This is not symbolic; it is substantive. Emerging and developing economies will account for the majority of future AI users, data generation, and real-world deployment scenarios. Their needs, constraints, and innovations must therefore shape the global AI ecosystem.

India approaches this responsibility shaped by its own digital transformation journey. Over the last decade, we have built Digital Public Infrastructure, including digital identity and payments to data exchange frameworks. These operate at a population scale, are interoperable, and are designed as public goods. The lesson learnt is clear: technology achieves its greatest value when it is inclusive by design, open by default, and trusted by citizens. It will also address the structural asymmetries that define today’s AI landscape: access to compute, data, talent, and capital.

Here, the work of the UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI is particularly relevant. Recommendations on capacity building, shared infrastructure, and enabling developing countries to participate in AI governance resonate deeply with India’s priorities. Capacity cannot be imported; it must be built locally. Governance cannot be imposed; it must be co-created. Democratising AI, therefore, is not just about access to tools. It is about building capabilities- skills, datasets, computing resources, and institutional frameworks.

The AI Impact Summit is being structured around this idea of translation—from vision to execution. The three foundational pillars of People, Planet, and Progress will guide our approach. It will focus on seven areas of cooperation: from human capital and social inclusion to safe AI, resilience, scientific collaboration, equitable access, and scaling AI for economic growth and public good. The emphasis throughout will be practical: what works, what scales, and what delivers results.

As the global AI conversation matures, the measure of success can no longer be the number of declarations we sign, but the number of lives we improve. Impact is the true test of legitimacy. India sees the AI Impact Summit not as an endpoint, but as a platform. One that brings together governments, industry, researchers, civil society, and international organisations to commit to shared solutions and sustained collaboration. A place where the Global South is not merely discussed but actively shapes the global AI agenda.

Let me conclude by extending a warm invitation to all stakeholders here today. Join us in New Delhi in February 2026. The journey from Bletchley to Paris has shown what collective action can achieve. The journey to India is about ensuring that this action delivers real and lasting impact, for all.

Thank you.