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India's AI Summit 2026 Aims to Establish Global Leadership, Backs Women-Led Startups

The AI Impact Summit 2026 is envisioned as a platform to cement India's position as a leading global player in artificial intelligence. Anna Roy of NITI Aayog announced a dedicated capacity-building programme for 150 shortlisted women-led AI startups, offering mentorship and networking support. She detailed the transparent selection process for the 'AI By HER Global Impact Challenge,' which culminated in ten winners being announced. The summit focuses on fostering impact-first, inclusive, and responsible AI development for global scale.

Key Points: India AI Impact Summit 2026 to Position Nation as Global AI Leader

  • Summit to establish India as leading AI player
  • Programme for 150 women-led AI startups
  • Top 10 winners of 'AI By HER' challenge announced
  • Focus on inclusive and responsible AI development
2 min read

Summit should establish India as leading AI player globally: NITI Aayog's Anna Roy

NITI Aayog's Anna Roy announces capacity-building for 150 women-led AI startups at the AI Impact Summit 2026, aiming to establish India's global AI dominance.

"Our vision at WEP is empowerment - Shakti - Anna Roy"

New Delhi, Feb 17

The 'AI Impact Summit 2026' should become a medium through which India's position globally as a leading AI player can be established, said Anna Roy, Mission Director, Women Entrepreneurship Platform, and Programme Director at NITI Aayog.

She announced a dedicated capacity-building programme for 150 shortlisted women-led AI startups at the event, which will include structured mentorship and networking support in collaboration with ecosystem partners, underscoring that entrepreneurial success requires holistic support across all pillars.

Speaking to IANS here on the sidelines of the event, she said that in this challenge, "we got more than 800 applications. First, we did an internal review. After that, we did 63 virtual panels".

"We used a very transparent method and EY made the entire evaluation process end-to-end. There was online marking everywhere. They were completely anonymous," she informed.

As a session titled 'Access to Acceleration: How WEP Supports Women Founders,' Roy outlined WEP's role in building a comprehensive enabling ecosystem for women entrepreneurs - from aspiration to scale.

"Our vision at WEP is empowerment - Shakti - where we enable behaviour change, provide access to the right knowledge at the right time, and support women entrepreneurs from aspiration through to scaling their enterprises", said Roy.

She announced the top 10 winners: Able Credit, Aso AI, Power Lifeline, Veryfi Technologies, Project Drives, Prosigo Language, Videos HR, That Creating, Water Ultra AR, and Zico AR, and congratulated them on their impressive performance across evaluation rounds.

Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog, also shared her excitement for the 'India AI Impact Summit 2026', which is focused on delivering AI's greatest promise of impact at a global scale.

Speaking at the sidelines of the 'India AI Impact Expo 2026', she highlights why this is India's moment to help shape the future of AI.

The 'AI By HER Global Impact Challenge', a flagship programme of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, convened women innovators, founders, researchers, policymakers, and ecosystem leaders for a full day of discussions and startup showcases focused on building impact-first, inclusive, and responsible AI.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

A
Arjun K
Establishing India as a leading AI player is an ambitious but necessary goal. The transparency in the selection process (using EY, anonymous marking) is commendable. Hope the summit delivers real outcomes and not just talk.
D
Debjani Ghosh
Thrilled to see this focus on impact-first and responsible AI. This is indeed India's moment. The convergence of policy, innovation, and inclusion can create a unique model for the world. The 'AI By HER' challenge is a powerful step.
R
Rohit P
More than 800 applications is impressive! But the real test is what happens after the summit. Will these startups get sustained government support, funding, and market access? The vision of 'Shakti' needs continuous fuel.
S
Sarah B
As an observer from the US tech scene, India's focused push on inclusive AI, especially for women entrepreneurs, is noteworthy. The global AI narrative needs this diversity of thought. Congrats to the top 10 winners!
K
Karthik V
Good initiative. But respectfully, we hear about many "summits" and "challenges". The proof will be in whether companies like Able Credit or Aso AI become household names in 5 years, solving real Indian problems with AI.
A
Ananya R
Empowerment - Shakti

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