Bengaluru, October 15, 2026: The World AI Summit 2026 concluded in Bengaluru after two days of discussions on artificial intelligence, bringing together government representatives, policymakers, technology leaders, investors and industry experts to explore AI’s role in governance, enterprise transformation and inclusive growth.

Organised by Elets Technomedia in collaboration with the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) and the Centre for eGovernance, Government of Karnataka, the summit focused on responsible AI adoption, indigenous technology development and practical applications across sectors. 

Day 1: Responsible AI, Governance and Enterprise Transformation

The summit opened with a welcome address by Dr. Ravi Gupta, Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Elets Technomedia, who spoke on “AI Is Reshaping Industries, Jobs and the Global Economy. Are We Ready?” He highlighted AI’s growing impact on industries, employment and education, stressing the need to prepare organisations and the workforce for this transition.

Sanjeev Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, emphasised India’s next step in AI development, stating, “India has adopted AI at scale. The next challenge is to build at scale.” He highlighted the importance of computing infrastructure, indigenous innovation and globally competitive AI businesses.

The inaugural programme included the launch of the special issue of AI Vision 2030. Mr. Mohamed Maliki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, New Delhi, delivered the keynote address “AI for the Public Good.” The programme also featured a keynote address by the Consul General of Israel to South India, Bengaluru.

As part of its knowledge-sharing initiatives, Elets Technomedia also presented the special edition e-Gov magazine, Beyond Intelligence: Exploring the Next Frontier of Artificial Intelligence, bringing together perspectives on the evolving role of AI and its implications for governance, industry and society.

Keynote Highlights

Ram Mohan Rao, Executive Director, SEBI, addressed “AI in Market Regulation: Strengthening Surveillance, Compliance and Investor Protection,” highlighting AI’s role in market monitoring, risk management and regulatory compliance. He emphasised that innovation must be accompanied by clear accountability, transparency and investor protection.

Mahesh Hariharan Iyer, Vice President of Engineering, Reserve Bank Innovation Hub, presented “A Strategic Framework for AI Adoption in Indian Financial Services,” focusing on the strategic adoption of AI in financial services.

Suman Dash, Chief Operating Officer, ACSEL Technology Forum, delivered “From Oversight to Insight – Responsible AI at the Core of Governance,” highlighting the importance of responsible AI practices.

Addressing “AI, Employment & Skills: Building a Future-Ready Workforce for India,” Dr. Hemant Garg, Deputy Director, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, stressed the need for accountability in public-sector AI, stating, “AI can support governance, but accountability for every public decision must remain with the people entrusted to make it.”

Day 1 included the Panel discussions on:

• AI for All – India’s Journey to a Sovereign, Inclusive AI Future
• The AI Playbook: Strategy, Transformation and Impact at Scale
• The AI-Ready Enterprise: Balancing Innovation, Governance, Risk and Business Value
• From PoC to Production – GCCs Becoming a Hub of Innovation
• AI-Driven Transformation: Innovation, Trust, Cybersecurity & Business Outcomes Across Healthcare, HealthTech and Enterprise
• AI VC in the Next Decade – Trends, Innovation Frontiers & Emerging Business Models
• From Hype to ROI – Building Scalable, Profitable AI Enterprise

The day concluded with the World AI Awards – Day 1 Recognitions, celebrating AI implementations across business, government and startups.

Day 2: AI for Bharat, Agentic AI and Indigenous Capabilities

Day 2 began with opening remarks by Dr. Ravi Gupta, who emphasised the importance of inclusive AI development. He stated, “AI for Bharat must go beyond technological advancement to create inclusive opportunities and meaningful impact for rural communities.” He highlighted AI’s potential to improve access to knowledge, skills, services and livelihood opportunities.

Sanjeev Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, also addressed the development of India’s software and AI product ecosystem.

Babu A, Chief Commissioner, State Taxes, Government of Andhra Pradesh, highlighted the importance of combining AI capabilities with human judgement in governance. He stated, “We need to move from software engineering to intelligence engineering, combining Artificial Intelligence with Human Intelligence to improve governance and citizen services.” His remarks focused on the potential of AI in tax analytics, anomaly detection and administrative decision-making, while retaining human oversight.

Dr. B.V.R.C. Purushottam, IAS, Secretary, Higher Education, Government of Uttarakhand, underlined the strategic importance of developing domestic AI infrastructure and technologies, warning, “If India misses the AI stack, it risks becoming the next digital colony of the West.” He highlighted the need to strengthen indigenous capabilities and technological self-reliance.

Industry Presentations and Keynotes

Industry presentations were delivered by Prakash Maharaj, Senior Director & Lead – FS, HCL; Harun Pathan, Founder and CEO, TechVerito; and Vinay Reddy, Chief Executive Officer, CognitBotz Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Kim McGuinness, Mayor of the North East, United Kingdom, North East Combined Authority, and Rob March, Regional Investment & Commercial Strategic Leader, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, also featured in the day’s programme.

Nitin Sethi, Executive Board Advisor, HighTable, delivered the keynote “From Cost Center to AI Innovation Hub.” The trilogue “From Research to Reality: Translating Deep-Tech AI Breakthroughs into Deployable Solutions” featured Dr. M. S. Mohan Kumar, Professor, IISc Bangalore, and Dr. Abhijit Lele, Entrepreneur in Residence, ARTPARK.

Day 2 explored key areas of AI development through the following panel discussions:

• AI for Financial Inclusion: Building a Trusted and Responsible Digital Finance Ecosystem
• The Rise of Agentic AI – Transforming the Global Capability Landscape
• From Models to Agents – The Rise of Autonomous AI in Business Operations
• Modern Data Stacks – Powering the Future of AI Applications
• AI x VC – Where Capital Meets Hyperintelligence
• Beyond AI Pilots: Building Enterprise-Scale AI Capabilities from India
• The Road to AGI – How Close Are We?
• Global AI Ecosystems: Connecting Innovation, Trade and Technology Partnerships

The international collaboration session featured Prajeet Prabhakaran, Regional Director, Commercial Section, Embassy of Austria, and focused on India–Austria cooperation in innovation, trade and technology partnerships.

The summit concluded with the World AI Awards – Grand Finale, recognising impactful AI implementations across business, the public sector and startups.

Advancing India’s AI Ambitions

Across both days, the World AI Summit 2026 highlighted the importance of responsible AI adoption, indigenous technology development, enterprise readiness and inclusive innovation. Discussions focused on the need for collaboration among government, industry, academia and startups to translate AI’s potential into practical solutions that deliver meaningful economic and societal outcomes.

For more details, visit: https://www.worldaisummit.com/

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