Humans must not be reduced to data points for AI, warns PM Narendra Modi at India AI Summit
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Humans must not be reduced to data points for AI, warns PM Narendra Modi at India AI Summit")
Indian PM Narendra Modi at AI Summit, New Delhi Photograph: (Screenshot/LIVE feed)
PM Modi underscores India’s demographic edge at AI Summit 2026, calls event 'proud moment for South Asia'
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at India AI Summit 2026 in New Delhi on Thursday (Feb 19) said the event is a milestone not just for India, but for the wider South Asian region. "This summit being held in India is a matter of pride for the entire South Asia," Modi said, noting that India represents nearly one-sixth of the world's population. The Indian leader noted that AI is a tool for humans and not the other way around. He warned against reducing people to mere inputs in the AI ecosystem.
Humans must not become raw material
Warning against reducing humans to mere inputs in the AI ecosystem, Modi said, “Humans should not stay a raw material or data point for AI," underlining that technology must serve people, not the other way around.
He argued that artificial intelligence should be “democratised” rather than concentrated in the hands of a few powerful actors. He added that AI must function as a medium of inclusion, particularly for countries in the Global South.
India represents one-sixth of humanity
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Modi underlined India’s demographic weight, noting that the country represents nearly one-sixth of the world’s population. That scale, he argued, gives India both responsibility and opportunity when it comes to emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
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This marks the fourth year of the AI Impact Summit, an international conference dedicated to the swift progress in AI. Previous editions took place in Paris, Seoul, and Bletchley, historically known as Britain's wartime code-breaking centre. The New Delhi summit is the first global AI meeting held in a developing country. The five-day summit was scheduled to be wrapped up on Friday (Feb 20), but has now been extended by a day following strong public response.
