From robots in healthcare to drones scanning crops, it’s India story at work | India News
New Delhi: The AI Impact Summit 2026 marks a shift in India’s AI story – from cloud-heavy, software-led narratives to physical, deployable AI embedded in machines, devices and infrastructure.Spread across 70,000 square meters at the Bharat Mandapam in the national capital, the summit is less about future promises and more about AI already at work: robots in healthcare and factories, drones in farms and wearables in public services.Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the five-day summit from February 16 to 20, brings together over 300 curated pavilions and over 600 startups across sectors. Throughout the exhibit floor, the emphasis is on installations rather than demos. Autonomous drones scan crops for disease, wearable devices assist frontline health workers, industrial robots perform predictive maintenance, and AI-powered tools translate court judgments and government documents into Indian languages.Global technology giants mounted some of the biggest and most crowded showcases. Google’s pavilion highlighted applications from climate modeling and extreme weather forecasting to language tools and its AI cricket coach, developed for Indian users. Microsoft is showcasing secure AI platforms for governance, public services and enterprise adoption, while Nvidia draws steady crowds with live demonstrations of GPU-powered robotics, real-time simulation and industrial AI systems, pointing to the growing importance of high-performance computing. Open AI, Qualcomm, Amazon Web Services, and Schneider Electric are also present, positioning their platforms for large, diverse markets like India with a sharp focus on scale, cost efficiency, and compliance.Equally prominent is the presence of India’s own technology firms. The Tata Group’s showcase spans manufacturing, mobility and digital public infrastructure, demonstrating how AI is integrating into traditional industries. HCL Tech is focused on enterprise AI, secure data systems and responsible deployment frameworks, while Reliance Industries is highlighting applications in telecom, retail and cloud infrastructure.Country pavilions for Japan, the UK and Germany reinforce the summit’s international character by hosting live demonstrations and bilateral discussions. Senior members of global technology companies are attending closed-door sessions and public interactions using the platform to explore partnerships and policy alignment in one of the world’s fastest-growing AI markets.Despite the massive presence of big tech, the energy on the floor is driven just as much by startups, students and young innovators. Youth Zones are populated by teams from schools and colleges that present solutions on precision farming, healthcare diagnostics, climate resilience and education, many designed to work offline or in regional languages. “Cost is our biggest constraint,” said Shaswat Ranjan, a computer science student who is developing AI-based mental health tools. “Running models for college projects is expensive. Being here helps us understand how to build affordable systems that can actually scale.”Several pavilions highlight indigenous foundation models trained on Indian datasets and designed to support 22 official languages, supported by domestic computing infrastructure and managed by local data protection frameworks. Officials say the aim is to ensure that AI systems reflect the Indian reality and remain accessible to startups, researchers and government institutions.
