IT for Change at the India AI Summit 2026
In the lead-up to the Summit in 2026, seven thematic working groups have been constituted in order to steer discussions at the Summit. We participated in three consultations organized by the Chairs of the Working Groups on the themes of Human Capital, Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency, and Democratizing AI Resources
Events we organized
At the Summit (16–20 February, New Delhi), we co-organized four key convenings that collectively pushed this agenda forward. Across these spaces, we worked to shift the discourse from fragmented concerns—whether cultural rights, innovation policy, or infrastructure governance—towards a coherent, regenerative paradigm for AI.
Cultural Rights, Innovation, and Development in the AI moment: Towards a public domain framing
17 February 2026 | India International Center
Our roundtable co-organized with UNESCO and FES, brought together policy and legal experts, creators, artists, researchers, and development justice organizations to reclaim the public domain against enclosure, foregrounding epistemic justice and the rights of creators and communities in discussion about Intellectual Property in the age of AI. Read the report here.
AI Governance from the South: Redlines to Baselines
18 February 2026 | India International Centre
Furthering the agenda for a ReGenAI paradigm, these conversations converged most sharply in this roundtable, where over 40 civil society actors and researchers articulated the need to move beyond identifying harms to defining non-negotiable structural baselines spanning issues of market concentration, labor and livelihoods, climate and ecology, and democracy in the AI economy. Read the report here.
Steering DPI & AI Innovation Towards Public Value Maximization: The Role of Governments in Safeguarding Data Agency
18 February 2026 | India International Centre
This closed-door multistakeholder dialogue co-organized with the Government of Australia, Project Liberty Institute, and Global Solutions Initiative brought together governments, public interest technologists, civil society, and academia to explore the institutional frameworks to steward AI and digital infrastructure for public value and collective well-being.
Events we participated in:
Beyond our convenings, our participation across high-level panels and multistakeholder processes amplified this South-centric framing in global policy conversations.
Women in AI:
Women in AI: A South Asia Outlook on Representation, Equity and Empowerment
Organizers: UN Women and UNESCO
Panel on ‘Women in AI’: Anita Gurumurthy, our Executive Director and Senior Fellow - Research & Policy Engagement, spoke at this panel organized by UN WOMEN and UNESCO on building gender-inclusive and ethical AI ecosystems in South Asia.
Towards Multilateral Agreement on Enforcing Red Lines
Organizer: Ada Lovelace Institute
Panel on ‘Towards Multilateral Agreement on Enforcing Red Lines’: Anita was on this panel, which brought together governments and experts to discuss the potential for a multilateral agreement on AI governance, the need for agreement on unacceptable risks and harms across the AI value chain, and for establishing multilateral commitment on enforcement mechanisms.
Global South Leadership in AI Governance
Organizers: CCG and GNI
This session was a part of convenings Under the ‘Multistakeholder Approaches to Participation in AI Governance (MAP-AI) Initiative’: Our team was invited to participate in this new initiative seeking to elevate civil society, academic, and Global Majority perspectives in policy debates. Anita was invited to speak at the plenary panel, ‘Global South Leadership in AI Governance’.
Harnessing AI for Social Empowerment
Organizers: IDRC, JustJobs, LirneAsia
Roundtable on ‘Harnessing AI for Social Empowerment‘: Sadhana Sanjay, our Lead - Research and Policy Engagement, spoke at this roundtable organized by Just Jobs Network and IDRC, intended to explore how AI can be leveraged for social empowerment.
Decentralized data Marketplaces
Organizer: Observer Research Foundation
Roundtable on ‘Decentralised Data marketplace’: Abhineet Nayyar, our Senior Associate - Research and Policy Engagement, offered inputs on conceptual gaps and operational limitations to this closed-door roundtable organized by ORF to gather ecosystem feedback on their idea for a 'Decentralised Data Marketplace'.