Chaos mars New Delhi AI Impact Summit as tech giants strike deals
Feb 23rd 2026
Organizational failures and public controversies overshadowed the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, yet major tech firms used the event to announce India-focused partnerships and praise the country’s AI potential.
- The summit faced severe traffic, unclear entry rules, security delays and general organizational confusion.
- Indian IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw apologized for the problems on day one.
- Bill Gates withdrew from a scheduled keynote after earlier confirmation by the Gates Foundation.
- Galgotias University was accused of misrepresenting a Unitree-made robot dog it showcased and denied claiming full credit.
- A viral stage moment saw Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei not follow a hand-holding cue, with Altman saying he was confused.
- Despite disruptions, major firms announced India-focused deals and partnerships while the government aims to attract $200 billion in AI investment over the next two years.