New Delhi : ASSOCHAM organised the 9th AI Leadership Meet today at New Delhi, as an official pre-summit event of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The event emphasizes transforming AI ideas into scalable solutions, measuring real-world impact, and sectoral applications in healthcare, finance, manufacturing, agriculture, and governance.
“In India, there is lot of focusing on application development and implementation in the area of AI. India has the ability to serve globally. Through the AI Mission, the National Supercomputing Mission and the India Semiconductor Mission, we are driving convergence between high-performance computing, AI-based computing and semiconductor capabilities. I appreciate how Assocham has come forward and industry supported the Indian AI mission, and the defining feature is that AI Mission is built through lots of partnerships and is a combined and joint effort of Government with industry – and Government is ready to support and unleash private sector in building AI capabilities. This integrated approach brings together policy, infrastructure and innovation as we move forward. India ranked third in AI companies by Stanford that is behind US and China. I think it’s a recognition of India’s strengths. There are two parameters on which India has done really well, R&D and talent, which is to be expected given that our level of talent in STEM is high.” said Mr. S. Krishnan IAS, Secretary, Meity during ASSOCHAM 9th AI Leadership Meet.
Mr Krishnan added “India’s approach to AI regulation is very guarded so that in no way it goes in the way of innovation. Government will use the tools in the existing laws and rules of IT act and DPDP unless there is need of any further regulation as our laws address the key issues around responsible use of AI. Our emphasis remains on enabling regulations that allow AI to develop and scale. The idea is to work in a preventive manner with no harm principle and the enabling policy regime. Regulatory approach is guarded and encourage the forward movement and whichever support Industry need, the Government is ready to discuss.”
“We welcome all stakeholders to join us from February 15-20 at the India AI Summit in New Delhi, with the main events on February 19 and 20, and active participation in the Expo.” added Mr. Krishnan.
Dr. Lovneesh Chanana, Chair, ASSOCHAM IT/ITeS Council and Sr. Vice President & Head of Government Affairs (Asia Pacific), SAP ASIA Pte Ltd said, “AI is now probably the most dependable engine for value creation today turning data into decisions and decisions into measurable return on investments. Running on India’s population scale digital rails, we have started moving with IMPACT speed – Inclusive by design, Measurable in outcomes, Profitable for enterprises, Accountable in governance, Citizen centric in benefits, and Trusted end to end. With world class talent and a culture of frugal, scalable innovation, we are moving from pilots to profit and from ideas to impact. India’s ‘AI for All’ has the potential to become ‘Returns for All’, aligning business performance with societal progress.”
Dr. Subi Chaturvedi, Global SVP and Chief Corporate Affairs and Public Policy Officer, InMobi said during her keynote, “India’s AI moment is no longer about pilots and proof-of-concepts, it is about scale, trust and measurable national impact. As we move from idea to impact, our priority is to build AI that is responsible by design, inclusive by default and globally competitive by intent. With the upcoming global AI impact summit, India has already made its claim as a global leader in AI development, innovation and adoption. To achieve Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of transforming India into an AI and innovation hub, it is important to align industry innovation with public policy, skilling India’s talent at scale and ensuring that AI serves not just economic growth, but societal good.”
Mr. Rishi Seth, Sr. Director APAC, Fractal added “In this era where intelligence is under continuous evolution this time it is different because it is the technology that understand us, responds to our needs, brings all the knowledge of world to our use and is getting cheaper day by day. Govt of India’s primary AI strategy is driven through Comprehensive IndiaAI mission, for AI excitement to turn into organization performance organizations will have to rewire talent for AI first organization, reimagine every process with AI and practice Responsible AI”.
Mr. Akhil Choudhary, CEO & Managing Partner, Highspring India said, “AI Idea to Impact is shaping organizations the way nervous system shapes the human body, sensing, learning and responding in real time. And this is leading us to a scenario where AI is becoming the operating system of today’s organizations. AI is no longer just a tool it is the way a business runs. It is not changing how we work it is changing what work is for people in the organization. AI is about Job role rebirth, it will not replace organizations but organizations that use AI like oxygen will replace those that don’t”.
Mr. Sandip Patel, Chair, ASSOCHAM AI Task Force and Managing Director, IBM India & South Asia said, ‘AI: From Idea to Impact,’ is more than a slogan; it is a collective mandate. We have reached a critical inflection point where AI has matured from conceptual ideas to production-grade deployments, delivering measurable value across the globe. But for this impact to be sustainable, we must move beyond the excitement of deployment toward the discipline of stewardship. The question is no longer if AI will change our world; the question is how we will shape that change responsibly, equitably, and at scale.
A defining highlight of the 9th Global AI Leadership Meet 2025 was the release of the joint Knowledge Report, “Open-Source AI Report” in collaboration with SAM. The report was unveiled by Mr. S. Krishnan, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India and other distinguished dignitaries.
