New Delhi [India], January 21 : In a pivotal move to advance India's leadership in artificial intelligence (AI), AI4India, in partnership with Intel India, BharatGen & IHFC (Technology Innovation Hub of IIT Delhi), will host the Official Pre-Event for the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on 23 January 2026 at the Research & Innovation Park, IIT Delhi.
Themed "Building Inclusive AI for India and the World: Uplift, Empower, Enrich," this Pre-Event is set to showcase AI as a transformative tool to address India's most pressing challenges while strengthening the global AI ecosystem.
As a precursor to the India-AI Impact Summit 2026, it will lay the groundwork for cross-sector collaborations to drive inclusive, responsible, and scalable AI solutions that reflect India's diverse needs and ambitions.
As per the official statement, the day-long event will feature high-level keynote sessions and panel discussions, bringing together voices from government, academia, research bodies, and private-sector leaders.
A lineup of over 30 speakers includes Shashi Shekhar Vempati - Co-Founder AI4India and Ex-CEO Prasar Bharati, Prof. M Jagadesh Kumar - Ex-Chairman UGC, Prof. Rangan Banerjee - Director IIT Delhi, Yogendra Garg - Member CBIC, Rajit Punhani - CEO FSSAI, Shivkumar Kalyanaraman - CEO ANRF, Gokul Subramaniam - Intel India President and Rishi Bal - CEO BharatGen, among others, added the statement.
An extensively researched report on "Future of Employability in The Age of AI - India's Playbook for Students, Institutions and Industry" will be launched at the event.
An EXPO at this AI4India Official Pre-Event will feature dynamic showcases from 25 emerging AI startups who will present their innovative technologies designed to address key issues such as climate resilience, healthcare accessibility, digital education, and smart governance.
AI4India's Co-Founder Alok Agrawal shared, "At AI4India, our mission is to foster an AI ecosystem that benefits all Indians by ensuring that AI and related technologies create positive societal impact. This Pre-Event provides a unique platform to amplify the inclusive contributions of Policy Makers, Indian startups, Researchers, and Innovators who are working to build indigenous AI solutions tailored to the needs of our diverse communities. This is yet another initiative by our forum to build meaningful collaborations between stakeholders dedicated to AI."
Gokul V Subramaniam, Intel India President, emphasised the importance of such partnerships in accelerating AI innovation in India: "India is at the forefront of AI innovation, driven by its talent, digital infrastructure, and the potential for AI to transform every aspect of society. We are proud to support AI4India's mission of fostering inclusive AI that benefits all Indians. This Pre-Event is an essential platform for AI leaders and startups to connect, share ideas, and collaborate on solutions that will shape the future of AI. It also provides an opportunity to explore affordable AI to solve population-scale challenges across sectors."
As part of its ongoing commitment to India's AI ecosystem, Intel India continues to invest in advancing AI capabilities and solutions that align with the nation's development goals. Intel's emphasis on responsible and inclusive AI supports its broader mission to empower businesses, governments, and individuals through innovation that drives economic growth and social good.
IHFC, IIT Delhi's deep-tech research and entrepreneurship platform, will play a pivotal role in supporting these startups. IHFC will offer funding of up to Rs 2 crore to promising AI ventures, further accelerating India's AI innovation.
Ashutosh Dutt Sharma, CEO of IHFC IIT Delhi, commented, "IHFC's core mission is to transform Deep-Tech research into tangible applications. This Pre-Event serves as a critical juncture for startups and innovators to engage with industry leaders, investors, and policymakers, ultimately driving the adoption of AI solutions to Cobotics, that have a meaningful impact on society."
The event is supported by NextGen Cloud Technologies as the Cloud and AI Infrastructure Partner and CPRG (Center of Policy Research and Governance) as the Knowledge Partner.