NEW DELHI — National delegations at India’s landmark AI Impact Summit will unveil a global statement on managing artificial intelligence a day late on Saturday, as host India pushes to expand signatories beyond 70, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced Friday.
The delay aims to “maximise the number” of backers, Vaishnaw told reporters, with the declaration’s details to be shared transparently tomorrow. The event, the first AI summit hosted by a developing nation and drawing tens of thousands including world leaders and tech CEOs, grappled with AI’s job threats, multilingual benefits, and data center energy demands.
Organizers faced criticism for chaotic logistics at the massive venue, while police detained shirtless protesters from an opposition youth group decrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
UN chief Antonio Guterres urged “science-led governance” over hype, announcing a 40-member Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, modeled after the IPCC, to guide policy. Yet divisions emerged: The U.S. delegation, under the Trump administration, rejected global oversight, with adviser Michael Kratsios stating, “We totally reject global governance of AI.
“Washington skipped the 2025 summit statement and issued a bilateral pact with India emphasizing innovation-friendly approaches. OpenAI’s Sam Altman warned against centralizing AI power, calling for urgent safeguards without stifling progress: “Centralisation… could lead to ruin.
“India leveraged the summit to boost its AI ambitions, securing over $200 billion in expected investments for data centers and nuclear plants. U.S. tech giants announced new deals, positioning Delhi to challenge U.S. and Chinese dominance.
Analysts doubt binding outcomes, citing vague prior summits in France, South Korea, and Britain. The next gathers in Geneva in 2027.