^{Photo: The New York Times}

A Summit That Mixed Disorder With Ambition

India hosted one of the largest artificial intelligence gatherings in the world this week, drawing thousands of executives, policymakers, and researchers to New Delhi. The event showcased the country’s ambition to become a central node in the global AI ecosystem, yet on-the-ground execution was marked by logistical snags, mixed messaging, and last-minute changes that created confusion for attendees and media alike.

Traffic congestion across the capital added to the complexity, with travel times between venues stretching far beyond schedules. Delegates, journalists, and organizers navigated shifting entry rules and security procedures at Bharat Mandapam, where the main sessions took place and where Narendra Modi formally opened the summit.

Despite the operational challenges, the event still delivered a clear signal: India is positioning itself as a serious contender in the global race to build and deploy AI at scale.

Star Power and Mixed Headlines

The summit featured appearances and planned sessions from some of the most influential names in technology and philanthropy. Bill Gates had been scheduled to deliver a keynote, though uncertainty around his participation created last-minute speculation.

Elsewhere, a robotics demonstration sparked online debate after a university presentation involving a robot dog—identified by observers as a model from Unitree Robotics—prompted questions about attribution. The episode highlighted the intense scrutiny surrounding AI innovation claims in a rapidly evolving ecosystem.

India’s IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw acknowledged early organizational issues and issued a public apology, underscoring the scale and complexity of coordinating an event of this magnitude.

Big Tech’s Strong Vote of Confidence

Even with the operational hiccups, enthusiasm from global technology leaders remained unmistakable. Executives from Alphabet, OpenAI, and other major firms repeatedly emphasized India’s structural advantages, including a developer base exceeding 5 million engineers, rapidly expanding cloud infrastructure, and one of the world’s largest internet user populations at over 850 million people.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted the country’s research talent and digital public infrastructure, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described the level of interest and engagement as exceptional.

Throughout the week, companies unveiled partnerships and investments. OpenAI announced it would become an early customer of Tata Consultancy Services data center initiatives, while Google detailed collaborations with universities and research groups to expand adoption of its Gemini AI platform.

Government’s $200 Billion AI Ambition

Indian officials used the summit as a platform to promote an aggressive investment target: attracting roughly $200 billion in AI-related funding and infrastructure commitments over the next two years. The strategy centers on expanding domestic compute capacity, supporting startups, and accelerating AI adoption across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, financial services, and manufacturing.

With the country’s digital economy already contributing more than 11% to GDP and projected to grow rapidly through the decade, policymakers see AI as a catalyst for productivity gains and export growth. Incentives for semiconductor fabrication, data center construction, and research commercialization are expected to play a central role.

Viral Moments and Industry Rivalries

Not all attention was focused on policy and partnerships. A brief on-stage moment involving Dario Amodei of Anthropic and Sam Altman generated social media buzz when the two appeared momentarily unsure about stage choreography during a ceremonial segment with global leaders.

The incident, along with broader competitive dynamics among AI labs, underscored how closely the industry’s personalities and rivalries are followed by the public.

Why India Remains a Magnet for AI Investment

For global firms, the appeal of India extends beyond optics. The country offers a rare combination of large-scale data generation, cost-efficient engineering talent, and a fast-growing consumer market eager to adopt digital services.

Industry forecasts suggest India’s AI market could expand at a compound annual growth rate above 25% through the end of the decade, driven by enterprise automation, generative AI adoption, and government-backed digital infrastructure projects.

Even amid logistical noise and headline-grabbing moments, executives consistently emphasized that the long-term fundamentals remain compelling. The scale of opportunity—spanning enterprise software, consumer platforms, and public-sector transformation—continues to outweigh short-term execution challenges.

The Takeaway

The summit illustrated two realities at once: the operational growing pains of hosting a massive global tech event and the undeniable momentum behind India’s AI ambitions.

While the week delivered its share of confusion and controversy, it also reinforced a broader consensus among industry leaders that India will play a pivotal role in shaping the next phase of artificial intelligence development. If investment commitments materialize as planned, the country could emerge as one of the most influential AI markets of the coming decade.