Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held an extensive roundtable discussion with leading Indian artificial intelligence start-ups at his residence in New Delhi, underlining the government’s focus on positioning India as a global hub for AI innovation. The interaction took place ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled to be hosted in the country next month.
According to an official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, 12 Indian AI start-ups that have qualified for the AI for ALL: Global Impact Challenge at the upcoming summit participated in the discussion. Representatives from these companies showcased their technologies and shared insights on the future of artificial intelligence in India.
The participating start-ups are working across a broad spectrum of AI-driven domains, including Indian language foundation models, multilingual large language models, speech and audio technologies, text-to-video solutions, and generative AI-based 3D content for e-commerce and marketing. Other areas of focus include engineering simulations, advanced analytics for industrial decision-making, material research, and healthcare diagnostics.
During the interaction, the start-ups praised India’s policy environment and growing institutional support for artificial intelligence, noting that the country is fast emerging as a major centre for AI development and deployment. They said India now offers a conducive ecosystem for innovation, talent development, and scalable implementation, positioning it firmly on the global AI landscape.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Modi emphasised the transformative role artificial intelligence can play across sectors and society. He said the India AI Impact Summit would reflect India’s ambition to take a leadership role in shaping the future of technology globally.
Highlighting the role of entrepreneurs, the Prime Minister described start-ups as key partners in building India’s technological future and stressed that the country possesses both innovation capacity and the ability to deploy solutions at scale. He called for the creation of AI systems that embody the ethos of “Made in India, Made for the World.”
The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of developing ethical and responsible AI models, stressing the need for transparency, fairness, and strong data privacy safeguards. He encouraged start-ups to aim for global leadership while promoting affordable, inclusive, and frugal AI solutions from India.
Modi further noted that Indian AI platforms should reflect the country’s diversity by supporting indigenous content and regional languages, ensuring technology remains accessible to a wider population.
The meeting was attended by senior leaders and representatives from AI firms including Avataar, BharatGen, Fractal, GAN, Genloop, Gnani, Intellihealth, Sarvam, Shodh AI, Soket AI, Tech Mahindra and Zenteiq. Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State Jitin Prasada were also present.
