Global Leaders Converge at Delhi AI Summit as India Aims to Lead in AI

David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow, Center On Global Energy Policy, School of International & Public Affairs, Columbia University, expressed admiration for the scale and energy of the event.

"I'm from Columbia University, and it's great to be here at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. It's just an amazing amount of activity on artificial intelligence," he said.

"I think 35,000 participants, if I read correctly, and all kinds of heads of state, including, of course, Prime Minister Modi, Macron from France, Lula, Sanchez from Spain, just an amazing gathering. And leaders from the AI industry, including Sam Altman, Dario Amede, many others. The dialogue here is fantastic," he said.

Sandalow noted that, as an American observer, he sees a clear determination by India to establish itself as a significant force in artificial intelligence.

"I'm going to let Indians speak to that topic, but what I see as an American visiting here is a commitment on the part of the Indian government to make India a player when it comes to artificial intelligence in the years ahead. For me, that's extremely interesting, and it has lots of potential because I think India can contribute to AI future for the world."

While refraining from commenting in depth on India's domestic AI strategy, he emphasized the transformative potential of AI in his own field of expertise, energy and climate policy.

"I am not enough of an India expert to really answer that question. I'm going to respect the answers from the Indian people, the Indian government, on that question. But what I work on mainly is energy and climate change, and I see tremendous opportunities in advancing energy innovation, the fight against climate change, resilience against climate change, using artificial intelligence. And that's what I've come here to talk about, and there have been many other comments in these sessions about that topic."

He concluded on an optimistic note saying, "So I'm excited to see all the dynamism, all the activity around using AI for energy and climate here at the summit."

The AI Impact summit reflects India's expanding global profile in emerging technologies, positioning the country at the centre of international conversations about artificial intelligence, innovation, and climate resilience.

- ANI