At the India AI Impact Summit 2026, startup founders and global experts declared artificial intelligence a necessity for inclusive growth, healthcare innovation, productivity gains, and scalable service delivery across India, highlighting AI’s transformative role in national development.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept or a luxury reserved for elite industries. It has become a fundamental necessity for inclusive growth, service delivery, and economic transformation in India, leading startup founders and policy experts asserted at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
The five-day global summit, which brought together delegates, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and technology leaders from over 100 countries, underscored India’s rapidly expanding AI ecosystem and its potential to address large-scale public challenges.
AI as a Tool for Inclusive Healthcare and Mass Outreach
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Ankit Modi, Founding Member and Chief Product Officer at Qure.ai, emphasized that AI is critical for a country with India’s vast population and limited expert workforce.
“AI is not a luxury but a necessity. We need to reach a large number of people, but there are not enough experts in the country. When AI is integrated with existing expertise, it helps us reach more people efficiently,” Modi said.
He highlighted how AI-driven medical imaging solutions are already transforming public healthcare delivery. According to Modi, pilot projects conducted in collaboration with state public health systems have shown measurable impact.
“We’ve seen that when we run state-level healthcare pilots, we detect 35 percent more tuberculosis (TB) patients. This is incredibly important not just for patients but also for their families and communities,” he added.
The company’s AI tools are currently deployed in over 100 countries, demonstrating how Indian innovation is influencing global healthcare systems. By enabling early diagnosis and scalable screening, AI is helping bridge the gap between limited medical professionals and rising healthcare demands.
AI Driving Productivity and Reducing Business Costs
The summit also showcased how AI is transforming industries beyond healthcare. Abilash Soundararajan, Founder and CEO of PrivaSapien, said that India’s supportive government policies and growing digital adoption are accelerating AI integration across sectors.
“This rapid growth is driven by consumers’ increasing reliance on AI-powered services. AI will become crucial for every industry. It will significantly reduce the cost of doing business and dramatically improve productivity,” Soundararajan said.
PrivaSapien, a unified privacy engineering platform, helps organizations visualize privacy risks, simulate potential privacy attacks, and mitigate risks during data collaboration and analytics. As data-driven business models expand, AI-based privacy management tools are becoming essential to maintain trust and compliance.
Experts at the summit noted that AI adoption in sectors such as finance, manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, and governance is creating new efficiencies while enabling scalable operations.
India as a Global AI Startup Hub
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 also positioned India as a thriving global startup hub. Harish Amravatkar, a technology professional who returned from Silicon Valley to launch his AI venture Atlanto AI, said India offers an ideal ecosystem for innovation.
“India is currently one of the easiest places to start and scale a startup globally. The regulatory environment, digital infrastructure, and talent pool create massive opportunities,” Amravatkar remarked.
He added that the summit provides young innovators a rare chance to connect with experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and policy leaders. “This is a great opportunity for aspiring founders to build networks and gain mentorship,” he said.
The government’s push for digital transformation, combined with expanding internet penetration and affordable data access, has further strengthened India’s AI ambitions.
Strengthening Academia-Industry Partnerships
Narayanan Vaidyanathan, Global Head of Policy Development at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, described the summit as a timely initiative in the current global landscape.
“This is a very important summit, especially given the current times. Participation from more than 100 countries reflects the global significance of AI. It will strengthen collaboration between academic institutions and industry,” Vaidyanathan said.
He emphasized that building future-ready talent requires closer alignment between universities and businesses. AI-driven economies demand professionals equipped with analytical skills, digital literacy, and ethical awareness.
AI as a Catalyst for Inclusive National Growth
Throughout the summit discussions, a consistent message emerged: AI is essential for inclusive development in a diverse and populous country like India.
From detecting diseases earlier and enhancing public service delivery to reducing operational costs and improving business efficiency, AI is enabling scalable solutions to complex challenges.
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Industry leaders stressed that responsible AI deployment, robust data governance, and policy frameworks will be crucial to ensuring equitable access and ethical implementation.
As India accelerates its digital transformation journey, the consensus at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 was clear — artificial intelligence is not a privilege for the few but a powerful necessity for inclusive growth, economic resilience, and global competitiveness.
