Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, in his keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, reasserts a belief that the exponential growth of AI over the past few years means “we’re increasingly close to a country of geniuses in the data centre”. Amodei drew chronological significance of the summit in New Delhi, the fourth iteration worldwide, since the first edition at Bletchley Park in 2023. Amodei thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing together tech and political leaders, to be part of the New Delhi Frontier AI Impact commitments, and noted the ambition he has noted across India in recent days.
Amodei says, “AI agents that are more capable than most humans at most things, and can coordinate at superhuman speed,” before adding that level of capability is something the world has never seen before, with emerging opportunities and concerns for humanity.
“On the positive side, we have the potential to cure diseases that have been incurable for thousands of years to radically improve human health, and to lift billions out of poverty, including the global South, and create a better world for everyone. On the side of risks, I’m concerned about the autonomous behaviour of AI models, their potential for misuse by individuals and governments, and their potential for economic displacement,” he says.
Anthropic marked the summit with a concrete signal of intent, including a new office in Bengaluru, the appointment of industry veteran Irina Ghose to lead operations locally, and enterprise partnerships. Amodei’s overarching message through the keynote was that India’s role in the global AI system is crucial to shaping regulation and access.
Beyond commercial expansion, Amodei emphasised the importance of diffusion. “One dynamic that we have observed is that technology and practises pioneered in India have historically set a standard for the Global South, and have helped to diffuse technology and humanitarian benefits through the global self,” he noted.
On the risk front, Amodei cast India as a pivotal democratic counterweight in global AI governance. He called for collaboration on safety testing and evaluation in line with emerging AI security institutes worldwide. “We’d like to work with India on testing and evaluation of models for safety and security risks in the tradition that was started by many global and national AI security institutes that have been stood-up around the world,” he says.
Equally urgent, in his view, are potential economic questions. Through Anthropic’s Economic Futures program and its AI impact index, the company has begun publishing data on how AI reshapes labour markets. Amodei signalled a willingness to share these insights with Indian government and policymakers. AI, he argued, will expand the economic pie, in India and across the global South.
But warns that since the change is unfolding rapidly, a period of turbulence is almost inevitable. The challenge will be to manage that transition collaboratively, smoothing prosperity rather than amplifying inequality.
