India AI Impact Summit 2026: Did India’s Tech Push Just Take a Hit?
The event faced problems like poor logistics, limited capacity, QR code failures, disruptions from VVIP movements, and unclear speaker schedules.
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Picture this: a hall full of heavyweights giving powerful talks on the latest tech, while thousands wait in long queues under a scorching Sun, eager for a glimpse of tomorrow’s promise.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 started with a technological whimper. The irony couldn’t be any more poetic.
With 250,000 people registered before the event commenced, Day 1 of the summit was marked by confusion and chaos. Problems included poor logistics, capacity constraints, QR code failures, and VVIP movements that disrupted people’s participation.
According to an official, the venue witnesses a floating crowd of roughly 1 lakh people on a single day during the Trade Fair. However, on Day 1, around 80,000 people arrived at once. The crowd management became a challenge alongside coordination for VVIP movements.
If the queues weren’t inconvenient enough, the visitors saw their QR codes malfunction on the ground, some remained without water or food for an extended period at the venue, and some were refused entry or exit to the premises for hours.
“If anybody has faced any problems (on Day 1), my apologies for that,” said Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, adding that the team “is working day and night to organize this world’s biggest AI summit.”
“The arrangements were patchy. One of the main crises on Day 1 was around food. There were long queues, and vendors refused to take UPI or cards. They asked us to go to cash counters that themselves were maxed out,” said Vidhya S, founder of hyprlocl Design Thinking.
“It’s quite ironic that it’s an AI summit,” she added, saying “none of this was planned for.” While the remaining days saw better management, the summit was given a negative connotation attached to it.
So why did this global tech event fail to prepare for such a large crowd and provide proper facilities?
Free Entry and Lack of Division
A security officer deployed on the ground noted that the G20 Summit didn’t face a similar fate due to being a limited, invite-only occasion focused on VVIP safety. Notably, over 15 million people were, in varying capacities, involved in programs and events related to India’s G20 Presidency.
A senior corporate communications executive said free entry didn’t help, adding, “People were there in pyjamas and didn’t look like a relevant crowd.”
A few suggested allocating days to students to avoid crowd management from getting out of hand. “They could’ve kept 1-2 days specifically for students to attend.” On Day 1, over 250,000 students took a pledge to use AI for responsible innovation, which made a Guinness World Record for the highest number of student pledges for the responsible use of AI within 24 hours– surpassing its original goal of 5,000.
But beyond the country’s ambitions and excitement, are records and attendance the only things that matter? What about whether the event suits the general public?
“Pain For Us”
Social media was flooded with complaints and mismanagement on Day 1. However, the inconvenience to the masses flowed into the remaining days as well.
On Day 3, over 300 exhibitors were told in the afternoon about restricted movement. They had to leave the expo by 4:30 pm on February 19 for security checks.
“We had our belongings inside. The security guard asked us to come back tomorrow afternoon,” Vidhya said, one of the exhibitors in Hall no 14.
As the third largest home to entrepreneurs and founders globally, India’s massive push comes from this community.
“I came genuinely excited,” wrote Dhananjay Yadav, founder of NeoSapiens, on LinkedIn, adding, “I wanted to show up personally to support the ecosystem and the government’s push.”
The founder, who wanted to showcase his patented AI wearable to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, witnessed wearables being stolen during a security check.
“Think about this: We paid for flights, accommodation, logistics, and even the booth. Only to see our wearables disappear inside a high-security zone,” he wrote, calling the experience “extremely disappointing” and a “pain for us.”
Jay Gala, a Bengaluru-based researcher and co-founder of Indilingo, criticized the event on X, calling it “disrespectful” and exclusionary because of repeated VIP movement restrictions.
“I felt like a third-class citizen at an event that was supposed to be for people like me. Never felt so out of place and disrespected at anything AI related,” he wrote, adding that it “left a really bad taste.”
The VVIP Culture is a Concern
High-profile events usually have VVIP movement. The problem is when the general crowd suffers. Visitors and industry professionals came from cities across the country to hear AI experts discuss the future.
Instead, they were treated rudely. “We, as tech enthusiasts, were eager to wait to see the Tech CEOs,” said Keitmaan Bhatti, a student at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, adding that “the government only wants to impress tech CEOs but not the ones who come across two states travelling to see this event.”
“Founders waiting outside while VIPs walked past…What makes this more disappointing is that it didn’t have to be this way,” wrote Preethi Sinha.
VVIP movements caused heavy traffic near Bharat Mandapam and Connaught Place. Sara Hooker, co-founder and CEO of Adaption Labs, missed a high-profile dinner hosted by PM Modi due to hours-long traffic.
Cab fares skyrocketed due to high demand, with people paying as much as INR 300 for just 3 kilometres.
AI for Inclusivity?
In Hall 5 and other places, a large banner read “For India, AI stands for All Inclusive” with PM Modi’s name below it.
Amar K Upadhyay, an Operations Analyst at CashKaro, said the summit left a bad impression. “As a person with a disability, what hurt me the most was being told that there are no wheelchairs available.” When he politely asked why basic accessibility wasn’t being provided, the security staff responded rudely, he wrote on LinkedIn.
He also wrote: “If we truly believe in ‘AI for All’, then it must include persons with disabilities — not just in panels and speeches, but in basic on-ground arrangements.” He urged that accessibility should be a priority, not an afterthought.
Earlier, disability rights activist Dr Satendra Singh raised concerns about the venue’s accessibility, pointing out difficult navigation during the World Health Summit 2025.
The summit featured several sessions on digital inclusivity over five days. But where does physical accessibility fit into the priorities?
Speaker Confusion and Leader No-Shows
Big events need to stick to their schedules. But the AI summit had session reshuffles, speaker delays, and cancellations. Just before it started, Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang pulled out due to “ill health.”
Microsoft founder Bill Gates also did not attend. Sessions, keynotes, and fireside chats were delayed and rearranged.
“Events in other countries don’t even attract 1/10 of our crowd at the summit,” said Deepak Gandhi, a digital agency founder.
Some industry voices dismiss public complaints as shortsighted, urging focus on the “greater good.” But how can a nation claim global AI leadership while showing a poor image at home?
Sure, bringing top names to speak to the country’s youth and tech leaders is impressive. But that doesn’t mean we should ignore the major problems.
A PR executive said, “I don’t want my country’s image to be like this on the global stage”.
