New Delhi hosted a massive artificial-intelligence summit this week — the first of its kind in the ‘Global South’ — that convened world leaders, academics, policy experts, and high-profile CEOs for talks on the responsible use of AI, building a sustainable AI future, and retooling India’s workforce to meet market needs.
On Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that “AI stands at a civilizational inflection point: it can expand human capability in unprecedented ways, but it can also test existing social foundations if left unguided.” Modi’s message was simple: India can be a powerful alternative ‘pole’ of AI, and it wants its priorities — and the priorities of developing countries — reflected in emerging AI norms.
The titles of past AI conferences offer clues about shifting global priorities. In 2023, the U.K. hosted the AI Safety Summit; in 2025, France hosted the AI Action Summit. Modi noted that India “deliberately framed this year’s summit around “impact” to ensure “meaningful and equitable outcomes,” not just runaway innovation.
On Stanford University’s Global AI Vibrancy Ranking, India ranks third, trailing only the U.S. and China, which together employ 70 per cent of the world’s top machine-learning researchers and claim 90 per cent of global computing power, according to Foreign Affairs. India's ranking is largely thanks to its massive talent pool and modest R&D, rather than chip manufacturing capacity or computing power.
This same talent pool — the quiet engine of some of the West’s own AI pursuits — may also be India’s biggest AI vulnerability. As one Indian tech leader noted, “India is definitely at risk because we are the world's back-office capital, and if we do not reimagine our role, we are going to have a lot of obsolete skills.” In January, India launched a nationwide program to equip 1 million young people with AI smarts and skills.
In 2024, Modi's government greenlit a C$1.71-billion plan to fund AI startups, computing infrastructure, and public-sector AI use. Private investment could, in time, dwarf this amount: India’s technology minister told reporters on Tuesday that India is looking to attract up to US$200 billion in AI investment over the next two years.
Bonhomie blossoms between Macron, Modi
Today, French President Emmanuel Macron wrapped a three-day visit to Mumbai and New Delhi, where he attended the AI summit. Macron and Modi upgraded the France–India relationship to a “special global strategic partnership.” In the spirit of the summit, Macron shared an AI-generated image depicting him and Modi forming a heart symbol together. This is Macron’s fourth official visit to India; Modi last visited France in 2025.
Macron’s trip underscores a broad deepening of India–European Union ties: New Delhi is reportedly in the final stages of approving a C$54.5-billion purchase for up to 114 French fighter jets and other aircraft. The potential defence deal comes just two weeks after India and the EU signed a huge trade, security, and mobility pact.
Canada–India co-operation spans AI, tech, trade and more
Ottawa is ratcheting up engagement with New Delhi as a March trip to India by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney inches closer. Canada’s AI minister, Evan Solomon, is attending New Delhi’s AI summit, reinforcing Canada’s interest in global AI governance.
Meanwhile, on the margins of last week’s Munich Security Conference, Canadian foreign affairs minister Anita Anand met with her Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, for the fifth time in six months. Both ministers affirmed “the shared technological benefits... for both countries’ businesses, industries, and workers,” in signing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Canada–India negotiations towards a CEPA, set to start imminently, will likely encompass AI and technology.
