AI Impact Summit 2026 New Delhi: Sutras, Chakras and Declaration
India hosted the AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam with three Sutras (People, Planet, Progress), seven Chakras, and the New Delhi Declaration endorsed by 91 partners.
The AI Impact Summit 2026 New Delhi was the third in the global series of AI Safety and Impact Summits, after Bletchley (2023) and Seoul (2024), and the first to be hosted in the Global South. Held from 16 to 21 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, with the main leaders’ segment on 19 February, the summit brought together governments, industry, academia, and civil society to chart a global framework for AI that delivers on inclusion, sustainability, and shared prosperity.
The summit produced the New Delhi Declaration, endorsed by 89 countries and international organisations, and articulated India’s vision around three guiding Sutras — People, Planet, and Progress — and seven Chakras, or operating pillars, that translate the Sutras into specific work programmes.
The Three Sutras
The Sutras (a Sanskrit term for guiding threads) form the philosophical spine of the summit. India deliberately framed the agenda around three Sutras to keep the focus broader than safety risk alone — extending it to inclusion, environment, and growth.
People
The People Sutra anchors human capital, equitable access to AI’s benefits, protection of workers and creators, education, skilling, and the principle that AI must serve human flourishing.
Planet
The Planet Sutra puts sustainability at the centre of AI development — energy efficiency of AI systems, environmental footprint of data centres and training runs, and use of AI for climate action, biodiversity, and disaster management.
Progress
The Progress Sutra anchors economic growth, productivity, innovation, science, and the use of AI for inclusive development and social good.
The three Sutras are People, Planet, and Progress — not “Planning.” This is a common confusion to flag explicitly.
The Seven Chakras
The seven Chakras are the operating pillars that turn Sutras into work programmes. They are:
1. Development of Human Capital — skilling, AI literacy, talent pipelines, and lifelong learning programmes
2. Broadening Access for Social Empowerment — equitable access to AI tools and resources, particularly for under-served populations and developing countries
3. Trustworthiness of AI Systems — safety, robustness, transparency, accountability, and standards for evaluation and assurance
4. Energy Efficiency of AI Systems — green AI, energy-efficient model design, low-impact data-centre operations
5. Use of AI in Science — international collaboration to accelerate scientific discovery, with an International Network of AI for Science Institutions as a flagship
6. Democratizing AI Resources — affordable compute, foundational models, and datasets accessible across countries through a Charter for the Democratic Diffusion of AI
7. Use of AI for Economic Growth and Social Good — productivity gains, public-service delivery, agriculture, health, education, and welfare
These seven Chakras provide the operational scaffold under which countries, organisations, and industry partners take forward specific deliverables.
The New Delhi Declaration
The New Delhi Declaration was adopted as the principal outcome document of the summit. It was endorsed by 89 countries and international organisations, including the European Union and a wide cross-section of developing-country signatories — the largest political endorsement of any of the three summits so far. Alongside it, the New Delhi Frontier AI Impact Commitments were announced by 13 leading global and Indian frontier-model developers, and the summit catalysed over US$200 billion in expected AI-related investment across infrastructure, models, hardware and applications.
Guiding principle
The Declaration is guided by the Sanskrit ethic of *Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya* — “welfare for all, happiness for all” — and emphasises that the benefits of AI must be shared equitably across humanity.
Key platforms announced
The Declaration announced or endorsed several international platforms and mechanisms:
- Charter for the Democratic Diffusion of AI — to promote affordable and equitable access to foundational AI resources across countries
- Global AI Impact Commons — a platform to scale, share, and replicate AI use cases for the public good
- Trusted AI Commons — a shared repository of tools, benchmarks, evaluation methods, and best practices
- International Network of AI for Science Institutions — a framework for AI-accelerated scientific research
These platforms convert the Sutras and Chakras into deliverables with home institutions, work programmes, and reporting lines into the next summit.
Why the Summit Mattered
A Global South perspective
The summit foregrounded a Global South perspective on AI — moving the conversation from frontier-risk debates that dominated Bletchley and Seoul to inclusion, equity, sustainability, and developmental use cases. This was reflected in the broad endorsement of the Declaration.
India’s positioning
India hosted as a leading user, builder, and exporter of AI services. Initiatives announced at the summit fit into India’s existing IndiaAI Mission, the IndiaAI Compute portal, the India Datasets Platform, and the IndiaAI Innovation Centre framework.
From safety to impact
The renaming of the series from “AI Safety Summit” to “AI Impact Summit” was deliberate. Safety remains a Chakra, but the broader frame is impact — including positive impact for science, growth, and inclusion alongside risk management.
Wider Context
The AI Impact Summit 2026 sits within a wider ecosystem that includes the OECD AI Principles, the G7 Hiroshima AI Process, the UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI, the EU AI Act, the US AI executive orders, and bilateral AI partnerships including India-EU, India-US, and India-UK frameworks. The summit signalled India’s intent to be a convener of plural, inclusive AI governance rather than a follower of any single regulatory tradition.
For related context, see AI in education: building India’s talent pipeline, AI-based local monsoon forecasting, and Can an AI system claim sole authorship of an artwork?.
Conclusion
The AI Impact Summit 2026 New Delhi was anchored on three Sutras — People, Planet, and Progress — and seven Chakras covering human capital, social empowerment, trustworthiness, energy efficiency, AI for science, democratising AI resources, and AI for economic and social good. The New Delhi Declaration, endorsed by 89 partners, converted these into specific platforms including the Charter for the Democratic Diffusion of AI, the Global AI Impact Commons, the Trusted AI Commons, and the International Network of AI for Science Institutions.
FAQs
Where was the AI Impact Summit 2026 held?
The summit was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from 16 to 21 February 2026, with the main leaders’ segment on 19 February.
What are the three Sutras of the AI Impact Summit?
The three Sutras are People, Planet, and Progress — guiding principles that frame the summit agenda.
How many Chakras did the summit articulate?
The summit articulated seven Chakras: development of human capital, broadening access for social empowerment, trustworthiness of AI systems, energy efficiency, use of AI in science, democratising AI resources, and use of AI for economic growth and social good.
How many countries endorsed the New Delhi Declaration?
The New Delhi Declaration was endorsed by 89 countries and international organisations.
What is the Charter for the Democratic Diffusion of AI?
It is one of the platforms announced in the New Delhi Declaration to promote affordable and equitable access to foundational AI resources across countries.
What is the Global AI Impact Commons?
A platform announced at the summit to scale, share, and replicate AI use cases globally, particularly for the public good.
How does the AI Impact Summit relate to the earlier Bletchley and Seoul summits?
It is the third in the series, building on Bletchley (2023) and Seoul (2024), and broadens the focus from safety-only discussions to a wider impact agenda including inclusion, sustainability, and growth.
What is the guiding Sanskrit principle of the Declaration?
The Declaration is guided by *Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya* — welfare for all, happiness for all — emphasising equitable sharing of AI’s benefits.