AI Summit 2026 LIVE Updates: BJP says ‘brainless’ on shirtless protest; Piyush Goyal, Rajnath Singh target Congress

Chinmay Pandya, Chairperson of SAIPR, highlighted the significant potential of Artificial Intelligence in India at the India AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi, while also stressing the need for ethical guidelines and regulatory mechanisms.

Pandya, in a conversation with ANI, on the sidelines of the AI Summit on Friday, said, “There is certainly unprecedented potential for India. Where there is fire, there is smoke. The advent of AI will certainly increase accessibility. AI is dominating every aspect of health, education, governance, warfare, but if ethical guidelines and regulatory mechanisms are not developed at the right time, it could fall into the wrong hands, which is a matter of concern. Keeping this in mind, we are holding an AI for Democracy talk here today.”

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday that India received “a lot of” investment pledges at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 with over $250 billion under infra-related investments and about $20 billion under Venture Capital and deep tech investments.

“The numbers are important, but what is important is that the world has confidence in India’s role in the new AI age,” Vaishnaw was quoted as saying by ANI.

Commerce minister Piyush Goyal has demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi as he condemned the shirtless protest by IYC workers at the AI Summit in New Delhi.

The minister accused the Congress of being “anti-India face” and being “bereft of any positive programme or nation-building ideas”.

“I condemn the Congress party’s arrogance. It clearly reflects their jealousy, envy, and disappointment that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is emerging as the most popular leader not only in India but across the world. It clearly shows that the Congress party is bereft of any positive programme or nation-building ideas,” Goyal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The members of Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha who had reached Rahul Gandhi’s house have been taken by the police to Parliament Street police station, NDTV reported.

Here is what MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on the India AI Impact Summit:

-The India AI Impact Summit was described as a “grand success.”

-20 world leaders attended the summit.

-45 ministerial-level delegations participated from across the globe.

-Representatives from 100 countries were present at the summit.

-Strong focus on the Global South, while maintaining a truly global character.

-30 European delegations participated at the official level.

-Several European heads of state and government attended.

-The Prime Minister held bilateral meetings with 16 world leaders.

A shirtless protest by he workers of the Youth Congress workers has prompted a legal action by the Delhi . The protestors had registered for the summit online, Additional Commissioner of Police Devesh Mahla told news agency ANI.

He further added that the protestors were wearing sweaters and jackets over objectionable T-shirts. Near Hall Number 5, one of them removed his outer clothing and waved the T-shirt in protest. The official added that appropriate legal action is being taken and that those detained are being identified.

Costa Rica’s Minister of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications, Paula Bogantes Zamora on Friday praised India’s leadership in leveraging AI for national development.

She also called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ethical, inclusive Artificial Intelligence governance “the right message to be conveyed at this time.”

“That is the right message to be conveyed at this time. It’s undoubted that AI needs to be an element that every government needs to consider when talking about developing the country’s economy,” Bogantes was quoted as saying by ANI

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that the ‘shirtless’ protest staged by the Indian Youth Congress on Friday at the India AI Summit in New Delhi reflects the party’s “deep frustration and sense of entitlement.”

“Mr. Rahul Gandhi, is undermining India’s global reputation just to attack the Government your version of constructive opposition?” he wrote in a X post.

“As misleading claims are being pushed around recent trade agreements to stall India’s progress, your party members chose to march shirtless at a prestigious AI Summit seemingly to project a negative image of 140 crore Indians before the world,” he said, adding that such tactics only highlight the absence of a forward-looking vision for the nation.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan slammed the protest by the Indian Youth Congress at the India AI Impact Summit, calling it an “anti-India” move.

Responding to those remarks, MP Congress President Jitendra (Jitu) Patwari said, “The trade deal is anti-India. The way Trump has oppressed and slashed the throats of Indian farmers is anti-India. The way he mentioned Pakistan and 11 fighter jets yesterday is anti-India.”

Attendees of the India AI Summit around Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reacted to the Indian Youth Congress protest, as one attendee said, “This should not have happened, doing a protest during the AI summit does not send a good impression…”

Another person present at the venue said, “… Guests from around the world are participating in the summit. Our nation’s reputation is at stake; we all should celebrate it…There are a lot of inspirations at the summit…”

“This is CONGRESS ARROGANCE & FRUSTRATION on display!” said Piyush Goyal, the Minister of Commerce and Industry.

He was referring to the ‘shirtless’ protest’ that was staged by the members of Indian Youth Congress earlier in the day at the AI Summit.

The protestors accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of compromising national interests at the summit.

“So Mr. Rahul Gandhi, humiliating India to target the Government is your idea of opposition!” Goyal said on X (formerly Twitter).

“While you want to CHOKE India’s development by peddling lies about the recent trade deals, your foot soldiers are marching shirtless at the prestigious AI Summit, attempting to embarrass 140 crore Indians globally,” he added.

Goyal further said that the disruption strategy only exposes the party’s lack of vision for India.

White House technology adviser Michael Kratsios said on Friday that the United States “totally” rejects global governance of artificial intelligence, AFP reported.

“As the Trump Administration has now said many times: We totally reject global governance of AI,” he said at the summit, which draws to a close on Friday.

“AI adoption cannot lead to a brighter future if it is subject to bureaucracies and centralised control.”

His remarks come after UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Friday morning that a new expert panel convened by the global body has been formed, which aims to “make human control a technical reality”.

Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Founder of Info Edge told ANI, “India will get a lot in the AI summit. I think what the AI summit has done is bring all Indian AI companies and technologies onto one platform for everyone to see. Awareness has spread. The general public has got aware of AI. You saw the crowds here. So I think massive awareness all around will help the spread of AI.

On protest by Indian Youth Congress workers at AI Impact Summit, an eyewitness says, “Sumit Patni told ANI, ” As a visitor, I feel this is not the right place to hold such a protest. It gives a bad image to the country. This is not a place for protest, where India is holding an international event and talking about AI. Such a protest should not happen. I was standing at a booth when I heard sloganeering against the honourable PM by some. We understood their intent of the protest was to create a ruckus.”

Cristiano Amon, CEO and President of Qualcomm at the Summit, was quoted by ANI as saying, “We’re heading to the next big transformation of the telecom sector. 6G is going to provide an evolution of connectivity, faster speed, lower latency, higher coverage, but that’s not the story. That’s just a piece of the story. It’s just continue to improve the connectivity.

He added, “The big part of 6G is AI, like I said before, is now going to come to the telecom network. And that becomes a large-scale AI network that is processing and gets trained on all of the signals that happen at the network, and provides new capabilities. One of the biggest features of 6G is that the network is the sensing network at scale…”

“Congress has once again proven that for them, AI isn’t Ambitious India, Artificial Intelligence, Aspirational India. For them, AI is anti-India. This isn’t the INC, this is the ANC, the anti-National Congress. The AI ​​Summit is being praised worldwide. From President Macron to the United Nations Secretary General, to top tech company honchos, from Sam Altman to Sundar Pichai, everyone is praising it. Even Shashi Tharoor said the AI ​​Summit was excellent. But at Rahul Gandhi’s behest, the Congress party is protesting; it is a characterless, brainless, emotionless protest. This isn’t a protest against the BJP, it’s not a protest against the PM, it’s a protest against India’s achievements,” says BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla.

According to Delhi Police, four to five people have been detained. They are checking whether they entered with a pass or a QR code.

“Indian Youth Congress workers raised their voice and protested against the compromised Prime Minister who has traded the identity of the country at the AI Summit,” the IYC said in a media update.

At least 10 protesters stormed into the AI Impact Summit on its last day.

Delhi Police says it is taking legal action in connection with the protest by the Indian Youth Congress, as per an ANI report.

“When foreign policy leans, corporate pressure and silence prevail… then it’s clear, PM Modi is COMPROMISED,” the Youth Congress wrote in a post on X.

“To expose this very truth, the fearless workers of the Indian Youth Congress reached the AI Summit and staged a protest against the “Compromised PM”! No compromise with the nation’s honor!” it added.

Youth Congress workers storm AI Summit. Watch

Indian Youth Congress workers staged a topless protest and chanted anti-Modi slogans at Bharat Mandapam over US deal.

“Today, due to climate change, we need climate-proof agriculture, and AI has the potential to do that. So, we are already using AI. We have started MahaVISTAAR. Through it, we have around 2.5 million farmers on our app, and that is a one-stop solution for all the farmers,” says Devendra Fadnavis.

“I am leaving so energised as this has been such a fantastic event. I congratulate India and PM Modi on this event. The topics discussed were spot on about safety, accessibility and penness. I am pleased that there is also an AI Pact between India and Germany to move things forward together,” says Karsten Wildberger, German Federal Minister for Digital Transformation & Govt Modernisation.

“Our Prime Minister is promoting India’s AI globally. This is an inspiring time. Everything is happening in India. India will provide global leadership in AI and related industries. Not just AI, integrated data centres, AI, quantum, you name it. We are very happy. Things are happening positively. We are living in an inspiring time. Everybody has to work in that direction,” says N Chandrababu Naidu.

“We’re thrilled that India joined Pax Silica… If you saw the companies that are represented here today, this is an incredible partnership for both of our nations, and we look forward to taking it to the next level,” says Sergio Gor.

“There is lot of excitement, huge participation; A big win for India at the global stage and an acknowledgement of India’s talent,” says Union minister Jayant Chaudhary.

“AI can have a lot of very positive impact in healthcare, particularly since we know that we have a lot of places in India as well as in other parts of the world like Africa where we don’t have specialists, you don’t have radiologists, psychiatrists, pathologists. One very simple solution of AI is image recognition or pattern recognition. So, reading X-rays, reading pathology slides, those things can be done quite well, provided the algorithm is trained well on a good data set. So those are kinds of things which are already being widely used. We are seeing a lot of new applications as well. What I would recommend is that, just like when we introduce a new drug or a vaccine, we do a clinical trial. We need to assess the efficacy and the safety of any new AI product before it is scaled up. That should be in the regulatory pathway,” says former WHO Deputy Director General Soumya Swaminathan.

“This is a historical summit in the Global South, and the Prime Minister Modi is really trying to include the Global South in this essential new wave of technology, which is AI, which will transform our lives. Yes, India definitely is becoming a new hub for AI,” says Brazil’s Ambassador to India Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega.

“The semiconductor supply chain is very important for the entire world. There is a need for a resilient supply chain. We have seen the kind of disruptions which happened during COVID, and it can also be weaponised. So that’s why today the entire world is looking at India as a trusted country. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has positioned India as a trusted country which believes in freedom and democracy…It’s a very important historical event for us because our semiconductor industry has evolved very well in the last decade,” says Ashwini Vaishnaw.

“India is such a big country, while Israel is a small country with only 10 million people. But the solutions for the two countries can be the same or converge. In working with India to bring solutions for the scale of India is very important. We are hearing a lot of responsible AI, but first of all, we need to identify the challenges and develop solutions,” says Ilan Fluss, EDTs Policy Coordinator at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Technology creates a foundation for people to stand taller and reach higher,” says Microsoft President Brad Smith.

He highlighted how AI can unlock new opportunities and benefit everyone.

Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu arrives at Bharat Mandapam to attend AI Impact Summit 2026 that is being hosted in New Delhi.

“Pax Silica initiative will bring the technology collaboration closer between the US and India,” says Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra.

“India has become a part of the Pax Silica. This will greatly benefit India’s electronics and semiconductor industry… A complete ecosystem is emerging in India. Pax Silica will be crucial for this, and the youth of India will benefit from it,” says Ashwini Vaishnaw

“Once we understand what systems can do and what they cannot, we can move from rough measures to smarter, risk-based guardrails. Guardrails that protect people, uphold human rights, and preserve human agency. Guardrails that build confidence and give business clarity so innovation can move faster in the right direction. Science-led governance is not a brake on progress. It is an accelerator for solutions… It helps us identify where AI can do the most good the fastest, and it helps us anticipate early impacts from risks for children to labour markets to manipulation at scale, so countries can prepare, protect, and invest in people,” says UN Secretary General António Guterres.

“India’s entry into Pax Silica is not just symbolic. It is strategic and essential. India is a nation with deep talent, deep enough to rival challengers. India’s engineering depth offers critical capabilities for this vital coalition. In addition to talent, India has made important strides towards critical mineral processing capacity, and that is something that we are also fully engaged in,” says Sergio Gor.

Watch | Pax Silica Declaration signed between India and the US, in the presence of Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology and Jacob Helberg, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs.

“We are not just holding a summit here; we are building the future. We are laying the foundation for the young generation,” says Ashwini Vaishnaw.

“It is an honour to stand before all of you here today at this historic moment as we welcome India into Pax Silica… What struck me most was not just India’s scale, although that is breathtaking. It is India’s resolve, the determination to chart your own course. I keep talking about the limitless potential between our two nations, and I truly mean it. From the trade deal to Pax Silica to defence cooperation, the potential for our two nations to work together is truly limitless. I aim to fulfil that over the next three years that I’m here,” says Sergio Gor.

“It’s been a very impactful summit. We have a lot of opportunities between our two nations, and so we look forward on engaging on that,” says US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor.

“The United States and India are affirming our embrace of a pro-innovation approach to AI against those who would constrain us to set us back. We are forging a supply chain that is the foundation for prosperity. We are building a new architecture that diffuses intelligence, placing the awesome power of AI into the palms of our people’s hands and unleashing a wave of unprecedented possibilities,” says Helberg.

“It’s a profound honour to be here in Delhi at the India AI Impact Forum to mark a historic milestone in the partnership between the United States and India. Today we signed the Pax Silica Declaration, a document that’s not merely an agreement on paper, but a roadmap for a shared future,” says US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg.

“Today, as we sign the Pax Silica Declaration, we say no to weaponised dependency, and we say no to blackmail. And together, we say that economic security is national security,” he adds.

“We affirm our shared commitment to advance mutual prosperity, technological progress, and economic security for our peoples.

We recognize that a reliable supply chain is indispensable to our mutual economic security. We also recognize that artificial intelligence (AI) represents a transformative force for our long-term prosperity and that trustworthy systems are essential to safeguarding our mutual security and prosperity.

We recognize that the technological revolution in AI is accelerating, increasingly reorganizing the world economy, and reshaping global supply chains. We believe that economic value and growth will flow through and across all levels of the global AI supply chain, driving historic opportunity and demand for energy, critical minerals, manufacturing, technological hardware, infrastructure, and new markets not yet invented.

In this spirit, we declare our shared vision to deepen our economic partnership through shared efforts on investment security practices, infrastructure, and incentives.”

Pax Silica Declaration signed, says US Under Secretary of State Jacob Helberg.

At the signing ceremony of the Pax Silica Declaration between India and the US, CEO of Google and Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, says, “…Pax Silica focuses on making sure that the supply chains are safe and secure and encourages greater commercial partnerships across key technologies. So let me congratulate the US and India on this historic moment. Alongside the recent trade agreement, this will lay a strong foundation for a robust US-India tech partnership for many years to come.”

Glimpses from the last two days of the India AI Impact Summit | Watch video

Launched in December 2025, Pax Silica is the US Department of State’s flagship effort on AI and supply chain security, advancing economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners a new.

The Trump administration is planning a new Peace Corps initiative that would send thousands of US science and math graduates abroad to boost foreign countries’ reliance on American technology and reduce global adoption of competing products from China, according to a US official cited by Bloomberg.

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios plans to announce the venture on Friday at the India AI Impact Summit, according to the report.