NEW DELHI: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday on behalf of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to participate in the India AI Impact Summit 2026, which runs in the Indian capital through Feb. 20.
He was received at the airport by Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, India’s Minister of Communications, and was accorded a ceremonial red-carpet welcome that included cultural performances, according to UAE official communications. Sheikh Khaled later greeted senior Indian officials after arriving in the capital, where summit events and related meetings are being held across multiple venues.
The UAE delegation includes Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications; Saeed bin Mubarak Al Hajeri, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak; Mansour Ibrahim Al Mansouri; Ahmed Tamim Hisham Al Kuttab; Saif Ghobash; Maryam Eid AlMheiri; and Dr Abdulnasser Alshaali, the UAE ambassador to India.
India’s government has positioned the India AI Impact Summit as a major international gathering focused on responsible and impact-oriented artificial intelligence. Official Indian briefings describe the summit as anchored in three “Sutras” that frame discussions on People, Planet and Progress, alongside sessions on governance frameworks, sectoral applications, and public-private engagement involving policymakers, technology firms, researchers, and civil society.
Summit agenda and venue
According to India’s Press Information Bureau, the programme spans Feb. 16 to Feb. 20 and includes keynotes, panel discussions and roundtables hosted at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi and additional sessions at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan and Ambedkar Bhawan. The agenda also includes an opening ceremony and leaders’ plenary on Feb. 19, as well as a Global Partnership on AI Council meeting scheduled for Feb. 20.
The Press Information Bureau said an AI Compendium, described as a set of thematic casebooks documenting real-world AI applications across priority sectors, was released during the summit on Feb. 17. It also cited a research symposium held on Feb. 18 at Bharat Mandapam as a principal academic platform for the event, with IIIT Hyderabad named as the knowledge partner.
A large accompanying exhibition, the India AI Impact Expo, has been a central feature of the summit’s public-facing programme. A Press Information Bureau update said the expo includes 10 thematic pavilions and more than 300 exhibitors from India and over 30 countries, highlighting AI deployments across sectors including robotics, education technology, healthcare innovation, and fintech security. India’s public broadcaster reported the government extended the expo by one day to Feb. 21, with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21, and that the expo would be closed to the general public on Feb. 19 and open only to invited guests.
Record-setting AI responsibility pledges
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said the summit also served as the platform for the announcement of a Guinness World Records title for the “most pledges received for an AI responsibility campaign in 24 hours.” The ministry said 250,946 valid pledges were recorded during the Feb. 16 to Feb. 17 period as part of a nationwide AI Responsibility Pledge campaign launched under the IndiaAI Mission in collaboration with Intel India.
The ministry said the pledge initiative asked participants to commit to ethical, inclusive and responsible AI use, with prompts focused on principles such as data privacy, accountability, transparency and countering misinformation. The announcement was made at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi in the presence of senior officials from the ministry, IndiaAI, Intel, and a Guinness World Records adjudicator who verified the result, the ministry said.
UAE officials have described their participation as part of international engagement on advanced technologies and AI, including dialogue on governance frameworks and the use of AI solutions in support of sustainable development. With leader-level sessions continuing in New Delhi through Feb. 20, the summit has brought together heads of state, ministers and global technology leaders for discussions on policy approaches and practical applications linked to national development priorities and cross-border cooperation. – By Content Syndication Services.
