Swiss President Backs India's AI Vision, Meets PM Modi at AI Impact Summit

Swiss President Guy Parmelin concluded his visit to India after attending the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. He expressed strong support for India's vision for a safe and inclusive artificial intelligence ecosystem. During his trip, he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review bilateral relations and discuss opportunities under the India-EFTA trade agreement. The leaders also discussed future AI summits, with Switzerland set to host the next edition.

Key Points: Swiss President Parmelin Supports India's AI Vision at Summit

  • Swiss support for India's AI vision
  • Parmelin-Modi bilateral talks reviewed
  • Momentum from India-EFTA trade pact
  • Next AI Summits in Switzerland, UAE
  • Focus on sustainable, inclusive AI
2 min read

Swiss President Guy Parmelin departs from India after attending AI Impact Summit 2026

Swiss President Guy Parmelin departs India after AI Summit, meets PM Modi to discuss bilateral ties and future AI collaboration.

"We fully agree that we need to develop and use AI in a way that everyone in the world can benefit from the potential that AI offers. - Guy Parmelin"

New Delhi, February 20

Switzerland's President Guy Parmelin departed for his homeland after attending AI Impact Summit 2026 in the national capital.

The Swiss President expressed strong support for India's vision of a safe, inclusive, and impactful artificial intelligence ecosystem, emphasising alignment on human-centric, sustainable, and equitable AI development during his participation in the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026.

During his two-day visit to India, President Parmelin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations, including trade and investment, science and technology, innovation, skill development, cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties.

According to an official release, the two leaders discussed the growing momentum in economic ties following the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) and explored further opportunities for innovation-led growth, joint research, and capacity building.PM Modi also welcomed Switzerland's initiative to host the next AI Summit and highlighted the collaboration with the United Arab Emirates, which will host the 2028 AI Summit.

Both leaders reaffirmed a shared vision to elevate the India-Switzerland partnership to new heights.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, President Parmelin welcomed the summit's focus, stating, "Switzerland very much welcomes and supports the focus of the AI Impact Summit which is well presented in the three Sutras: People, Progress, Planet: We fully agree that we need to develop and use AI in a way that everyone in the world can benefit from the potential that AI offers. This includes economic and societal progress for everyone. At the same time we need to make sure that we respect our planet as the basis of all lives and that AI is developed and used in a sustainable way."

Highlighting Switzerland's admiration for India's growing prowess in AI, he outlined promising areas for future collaboration.

"We admire how India has developed into a powerful player in AI research and innovation. Switzerland sees significant potential for deepening collaboration with India," Parmelin said.

He added, "I am delighted to see Swiss startups here at the summit bringing bold ideas, cutting edge technologies, and a strong spirit of innovation to explore new opportunities for collaboration with Indian partners."

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Sarah B
As someone working in tech, the emphasis on "human-centric" AI is crucial. So many summits talk about innovation, but forgetting the human impact. Glad India is taking a lead on this. The TEPA agreement should hopefully make tech transfers smoother.
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Priya S
Good to see international recognition for our AI capabilities. But I hope this collaboration trickles down to solving local problems - better agricultural predictions, managing urban traffic, affordable healthcare diagnostics. That's the real "impact" we need.
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Rohit P
The partnership with EFTA is a game-changer for our startups. Access to Swiss and European markets can be huge. Hope the government ensures our MSMEs and young entrepreneurs get the full benefit, not just the big corporates.
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Michael C
Respectfully, while summits are great for diplomacy, the proof will be in tangible outcomes. We've signed many MOUs before. Let's track how many joint research papers, patents, or commercial products come out of this in the next two years. That's the real metric.
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Kavya N
"People, Progress, Planet" – love that it's called Sutras! It roots a global tech conversation in our own cultural wisdom. Jai Hind! 🙏 The skill development angle is key. We need to upskill our workforce fast to not just use AI, but build it.

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