‘Nice to be back in India’: Pichai at AI summit as PM calls AI ‘tremendous opportunity, challenge’

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai arrived in the national capital on February 18 to attend the India AI Impact Summit 2026, where he is scheduled to deliver the keynote address on February 20.

The summit, being held at Bharat Mandapam, began on February 16 and will conclude on February 20.

Soon after landing, Pichai posted on X: “Nice to be back in India for the AI Impact Summit – a very warm welcome as always and the papers looked great too.”

The event has drawn participation from more than 110 countries and around 30 international organisations, including about 20 heads of state or government and nearly 45 ministers, reflecting the growing diplomatic and economic weight of artificial intelligence.

In an interview with ANI’s text service, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined the sector’s importance to the economy. “India’s IT sector has been the backbone of our services exports and a key driver of economic growth. AI presents both a tremendous opportunity and a challenge for this sector,” he said.

Citing market projections, he added that India’s IT industry could reach $400 billion by 2030, driven by “new waves of AI-enabled outsourcing and domain-specific automation”.

Organisers describe the gathering as the first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South. Discussions are focused on governance, safety and the broader societal impact of AI, structured around three pillars — People, Planet and Progress — aimed at promoting human-centric, sustainable and inclusive technological advancement.