In 2026, India finds itself at the center of a defining technological moment. As the Prime Minister Modi inaugurates the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, the country hosts the first such global AI gathering in India and the first of its scale in the Global South. While previous AI summits in the UK, South Korea, and France saw participation in the hundreds, New Delhi’s edition dwarfed them in scale drawing lakhs of attendees, heads of state, ministers, global AI leaders, and CEOs from across the world. Yet, even as the world acknowledged India’s growing stature in the AI race, domestic skepticism and social media chatter threatened to overshadow the significance of the event. Drawing parallels to the 1960s space race – when India’s humble beginnings in Thumba were mocked – the moment reflects a familiar pattern. From transporting rocket parts on bicycles to reaching Mars in 2014, India has steadily transformed doubt into achievement. Today, the launch pad is no longer a bicycle but Bharat Mandapam. And the race is no longer for space – it is for artificial intelligence. Beneath the viral memes and political noise lies a larger truth: India is positioning itself as a serious contender in the global AI order.
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