NEW DELHI: More than 50 countries from the Global South will take part in the fourth edition of the AI Summit being hosted by India, signalling a decisive shift in the global AI conversation—from safety to human-centric development and empowerment.
The summit, scheduled from February 16 to 20, has already drawn over two lakh registrations. The 18th evening will feature a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister, while the 19th will see the inaugural session, plenary discussions and a high-level CEO Forum. Participation is expected from 20 global leaders, 45 ministers and 30 vice ministers.
This edition marks an important evolution. While earlier summits were centred on safety and public interest, India’s focus this year is firmly on making AI human-centric—investing in human capital, expanding access, and harnessing AI for inclusive development. At the heart of the summit are seven ‘Chakras’ working groups designed to translate vision into action.
The ‘Human Capital Chakra’ recognises that AI is transforming the nature of work at an unprecedented pace. It aims to equip citizens with the skills, literacy and adaptability required to thrive in an AI-driven economy, ensuring that technological change creates opportunity rather than displacement. “Our focus is on human capital and how to use AI as an empowering tool,” an MEA official said.
The ‘Inclusion for Social Empowerment Chakra’ addresses a stark imbalance—much of today’s AI reflects the languages, cultures and contexts of only a handful of regions. This group seeks to foster AI systems that are inclusive by design, locally relevant and culturally respectful. The ‘Safe and Trusted AI Chakra’ builds on prior global conversations, focusing on democratising governance tools and strengthening the technical capabilities of nations to regulate and deploy AI responsibly.
‘Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency’ confronts the environmental and resource costs of modern AI systems while tackling the widening the AI divide between nations. The ‘AI in Science Chakra’ focuses on inclusive scientific partnerships, expanding research ecosystems across the Global South and ensuring innovation remains collaborative.
Finally, ‘Democratising AI Resources’ seeks to address the concentration of datasets, compute power and advanced models within a small group of countries and corporations.