Published Feb 20, 2026 | 10:15 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 20, 2026 | 10:15 AM
India AI Impact Summit 2026.
Synopsis: The five-day AI Impact Summit in New Delhi witnessed yet another controversy, with the latest issue being the placeholder text printed on the access card instead of the actual guidelines. The access card had “lorem ipsum” text printed on it.
The controversies surrounding the five-day AI Impact Summit in New Delhi seem never-ending, with the latest issue being the placeholder text printed on the access card instead of the actual guidelines.
The summit, inaugurated on 16 February, faced criticism on its opening day as attendees reported long queues, overcrowding, organisational lapses, and theft of devices.
Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had also issued a formal apology for the logistical hurdles and overcrowding, attributing the disruptions to a “phenomenal” and unprecedented surge in attendance, which saw more than 70,000 people arrive at the venue on the first day alone.
The summit will end on Friday, 20 February.
A viral post on X by a journalist showed that the access card to the summit had placeholder text printed on it instead of guidelines for the attendees.
The photograph of the access card showed “lorem ipsum” — the placeholder text commonly used in graphic design, publishing, and web development — printed on it.
Earlier, Microsoft founder Bill Gates had withdrawn from the summit as a keynote speaker following the controversy surrounding his name appearing in files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The summit also witnessed Uttar Pradesh-based Galgotias University exhibiting a Chinese-made robot dog in its pavilion, claiming it was made in its lab. Later, when the university issued a clarification saying there was miscommunication and admitted that it was bought from China. The university was then asked to vacate the expo.
India AI Impact Summit 2026 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 16 February, which is said to be the first international AI summit hosted in the Global South.
The summit was scheduled from 16 to 20 February alongside the India AI Impact Expo 2026.
