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UN Chief Guterres to Lead Global AI Summit in New Delhi 2026

The AI Impact Summit 2026 will be held in New Delhi, marking the first global AI gathering of its scale in the Global South. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will attend, alongside senior UN officials and heads of international organizations like the IMF and ILO. The summit aims to advance the responsible development of AI to support sustainable development goals across various sectors. Concurrently, the UN has established a new independent scientific panel, featuring experts like India's Balaraman Ravindran, to provide annual assessments on AI's global impact.

Key Points: UN AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi with Guterres

  • First major global AI summit in Global South
  • UN convening 30+ side events on key issues
  • New independent UN scientific panel on AI launched
  • Focus on responsible AI for sustainable development
2 min read

UN Secretary-General to Attend AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will attend the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, convening global leaders to shape responsible AI for development.

"We need shared understandings to build effective guardrails, unlock innovation for the common good, and foster cooperation. - Antonio Guterres"

New Delhi, February 13

Senior United Nations leaders, including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, will participate in the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. The Summit, the first global AI gathering of its scale to be convened in the Global South, will take place from February 16 to 20.

The Summit is organised by India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It will bring together governments, international organisations, industry, academia, and civil society to advance the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence in support of sustainable development.

The UN system will convene more than 30 side events during the Summit, addressing areas including agriculture and food security, gender equality, health systems, digital public infrastructure, disaster risk reduction and children's safety.

"We need shared understandings to build effective guardrails, unlock innovation for the common good, and foster cooperation," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently said ahead of his visit to India.

The Secretary-General will be joined by Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Amandeep Singh Gill, Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies; Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO); Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); Kamal Kishore, Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Additionally, senior representatives from UNDP, UN Women, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNFPA, FAO, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) will also participate.

Just yesterday, the UN General Assembly appointed 40 members, recommended by the Secretary-General, to the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. The Panel, the first global scientific body of its kind, will bring together leading experts to assess how AI is transforming societies and economies worldwide. The members were selected from more than 2,600 candidates and will serve in their personal capacity.

The Panel will issue an annual report containing evidence-based scientific assessments that synthesise and analyse existing research on AI's opportunities, risks and impacts, including in support of the new Global Dialogue on AI Governance. Its members include Indian expert Balaraman Ravindran of IIT Madras.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Rohit P
Great to see Prof. Ravindran from IIT Madras on the UN scientific panel. Our IITs and IISc have so much talent to offer. The summit's focus on digital public infrastructure is key—look at what UPI and Aadhaar have achieved. Let's build AI that serves the common man.
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Sarah B
While this is a positive step, I hope the discussions are truly inclusive and don't just become a platform for big tech companies. The side events on gender equality and children's safety are crucial. AI bias is a real problem that needs global solutions.
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Arjun K
Hope the traffic police in Delhi are ready for this! Jokes aside, this is a big moment. The world is looking East for tech leadership. Let's hope the "guardrails" Guterres mentions don't stifle Indian innovation. We need to move fast and build.
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Karthik V
With all due respect, summits are good for photo-ops, but what about action? We have brilliant minds in India, but also a huge digital divide. I hope concrete plans come out of this to train our youth and create jobs, not just lofty statements.
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Meera T
The involvement of ILO and ITU is very important. AI will change the nature of work. We need policies that protect workers and ensure skilling. Proud that India is hosting this. Let's show the world how to do tech for development, not just profit.

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