India Champions ‘Global AI Commons’ at New Delhi Summit
India is prioritizing the democratization of artificial intelligence access, particularly for the Global South, and will advocate for a “global AI commons” at the Global AI Impact Summit in New Delhi this week. The summit, convening from Monday, February 16, 2026, will host over 20 heads of state and government, including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, alongside AI industry leaders and investors.
India’s Vision for AI Accessibility
Abhishek Singh, CEO of India’s AI Mission and Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), outlined India’s core objective: to create a shared repository of AI apply cases across key sectors like education, health, and agriculture. This “global AI commons” aims to foster interoperability and widespread adoption of AI applications. [Time Magazine]
“The global AI commons means creating a repository of use cases for AI in key sectors, which can then be shared,” Singh said. “India wanted to craft AI applications ‘interoperable and available to the global community to ensure they are diffused widely and adopted at scale.’”
Leveraging Digital Infrastructure for AI Impact
India’s approach builds upon its existing digital public infrastructure, known as the “India Stack,” which links citizens to public services and online payments. This model has garnered interest from other nations seeking to expand digital access. The government aims to extend this infrastructure to deliver AI-powered solutions to the country’s population, including enabling a farmer to access crop advice via a toll-free number. [Time Magazine]
Addressing Challenges and Building Partnerships
Although India has a robust IT sector, including companies like Infosys, Wipro, and Tata Consultancy Services, it has not yet emerged as a leader in developing large language models or profiting from AI’s rollout. The government has urged the IT industry to increase investment in product innovation. [Time Magazine]
Singh acknowledges challenges in securing data from government departments and staffing the AI Mission. To overcome these hurdles, he has forged partnerships with philanthropic organizations like the Gates Foundation and the Wadhwani Foundation, and secured access to 35,000 GPUs from private sector partners. [Time Magazine]
India’s Role in Global AI Governance
The summit follows the UK’s 2023 AI Safety Summit and France’s 2024 event focused on tech investment. India aims to build consensus and foster collaboration in the AI space, leveraging its experience in using technology for transformational change. [Time Magazine]
“There’s a lot of mistrust across the world when it comes to AI,” Singh said. “So given that we had been playing this role of being trusted by multiple partners in using technology for transformational changes, we do believe we have the ability to bring consensus and… bring together the whole world to try to contribute to this.”
The Modi government has too demonstrated a willingness to regulate technology, recently issuing a notice to X (formerly Twitter) regarding AI-generated content. [Time Magazine]
Looking Ahead
Singh expressed optimism that India will showcase significant advancements in AI by the time New Delhi hosts a major global AI conference in 2026. “In my 30-year career, I have not seen a government project moving so fast,” he stated. [Time Magazine]
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