AI Summit draws massive turnout on day one

After months of promotion as India’s flagship artificial intelligence event, the five-day AI Impact Summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (February 16, 2026), drawing overwhelming crowds and packing Bharat Mandapam to capacity as thousands thronged the venue.

Officials had widely publicised the summit, hosting pre-event programmes across several Indian cities and abroad. Those efforts appeared to pay off on Monday, with nearly every accessible part of the sprawling 100-acre complex filled with attendees. The dozen or so panel discussion venues were left with standing room only. 

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“We have more than 2.5 lakh registrations,” Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S. Krishnan said on the sidelines. “We’ve tried to make all the arrangements that we can; we never anticipated that there would be so many people willing and wanting to attend, which is why we did not restrict the registrations.” The government did not provide overall attendance figures. Entry to the event is free upon registration, and visitor passes have been oversubscribed, Mr. Krishnan said.

The summit featured over 100 events, excluding those that were not livestreamed. In the long exhibition hall complex, over 400 booths were active, spanning industry, academia, startups, and global tech giants. 

Logistical challenges

However, the event was not without hitches—many attendees complained online about overcrowding, long queues at food courts, where some vendors reportedly refused digital payments. Some outlets ran out of ingredients and couldn’t restock quickly enough to meet demands. Some visitors said drinking water was difficult to access.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inaugural event of AI Impact Expo 2026, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on February 16, 2026. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and MoS Jitin Prasada also present. Photo: DPR PMO/ANI

In the afternoon, parts of the venue were cleared for security sanitisation, leading to exhibitors being asked to vacate at short notice. One exhibitor complained online that wearable devices brought for display were stolen. Access to several areas was also restricted later in the day, resulting in long queues at entry and exit points.

Novel arrangements

There were, however, some novel arrangements. A quick-commerce platform set up grocery and snack drop-off points across Bharat Mandapam, while an online food ordering and delivery company facilitated food deliveries within the complex. Digi Yatra, typically used for expedited airport entry, was piloted at entry gates, enabling attendees to use facial recognition for automated access.

In a post on X in the morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The AI Impact Summit will enrich global discourse on diverse aspects of AI, such as innovation, collaboration, responsible use and more. I am confident that the outcomes of the summit will help shape a future that is progressive, innovative and opportunity-driven.”

Later in the afternoon, Mr. Modi visited the exhibition area, posting on X afterward that it was “a matter of immense pride for us that people from all over the world are coming to India for the India AI Impact Summit,” and that the “occasion is further proof that our country is progressing rapidly in the field of science and technology and is making an important contribution to global development.”

Mr. Modi is scheduled to address the plenary session on Thursday, when the event will be closed to general visitors. Keynote speakers that day include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Microsoft president Brad Smith, and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.

While NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s highly anticipated visit was cancelled over the weekend, it is unclear if there were any other cancellations. Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was pulled from an online speakers’ list, but officials did not respond to queries on whether Mr. Gates, who was in Amaravati earlier on Monday, would finally attend.