In February 2026, India organized the India AI Impact Summit 2026 to place the priorities and difficulties of the Global South at the heart of Artificial Intelligence discussions. The event themes, shaped by India, reflected the practical conditions of developing regions and emphasized actual harms. This approach differed from earlier meetings in Bletchley Park in 2023, Seoul in 2024, and Paris in 2025, which focused more on extreme future risks than on current issues of fairness and access.
As the summit progressed, attention moved toward attracting investment for AI growth in India and speeding local applications. India started to present itself as a middle power, which reduced emphasis on Global South unity that originally defined the event. The country joined Pax Silica, aligning with the United States-led semiconductor network. Under the deal, India committed to a pro-innovation regulatory stance, which limited its goal of independent policy control.
This shift placed India in an awkward position. The middle-power framing offers diplomatic appeal yet creates strategic tension. India seeks recognition alongside nations such as Japan that do not view it as an equal in technology or economic scale. Such positioning also conflicts with India’s history and lower average income levels that connect it more closely to the Global South.
Tensions arise between India’s goals and its situation, alongside United States policy that promotes worldwide use of American technology. The United States has shown little interest in global AI rules or multilateral oversight. This situation raises concerns for India and other developing countries about heavy concentration of infrastructure and economic influence in the United States. Similar patterns appeared earlier with social media, where American policy resisted rules on user harms to protect domestic platforms. Most profits still flow to United States companies even when users and activity occur elsewhere, while local markets face greater side effects.
Key questions remain. Will India mainly consume United States technology while its users experience greater harm? Could India become mainly a source of data, labeling work, minerals, land, water, and power for data centers that support American technology firms?
After the summit, India approved land for data centers that displaced residents and sparked protests. Few protections exist for communities when foreign companies collect public material to create language and local knowledge datasets. Non-profit groups sign agreements to spread AI tools, yet core innovation stays limited. India has not matched leading global models, its chip efforts center on basic assembly, and funding for a national AI system remains uncertain.
A two-part United Nations Global Dialogue on AI began in Geneva in July 2026. Participants aim to build shared rules for AI oversight through multilateral and multi-stakeholder efforts.
India could help unify a divided AI policy field that lacks clear direction. Few countries combine the political weight, technical ability, and varied market needed for such influence. Instead of acting only as an investment site or user market, India might promote technology growth based on public goals, user protection, policy independence, and global partnership.
India can push for international standards that help Global South nations build their own AI systems, protect users, strengthen regulation, improve skills, and expand local infrastructure. It can also advance talks on competition, consumer safeguards, and keeping economic benefits inside national borders.
At the same time, India should open routes for cooperation on AI among Global South countries. The Geneva talks offer an important chance for these nations to unite.
