Published Feb 17, 2026 | 8:59 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 17, 2026 | 8:59 AM
India AI Impact Summit 2026.
Synopsis: The first day of AI Summit India 2026 in New Delhi faced criticism on its opening day as attendees reported long queues, overcrowding, organisational lapses, and theft of devices. People raised several concerns, including the cash-only payment system at the venue, lack of seating or networking arrangements, and crashing of the registration system, among others.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 16 February, inaugurated India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, which is said to be the first international AI summit hosted in the Global South. The summit is scheduled from 16 to 20 February alongside the India AI Impact Expo 2026.
According to the organisers, over 500 sessions with 3,250 speakers will highlight AI applications across three thematic “chakras” — People, Planet, and Progress. India is unveiling 12 indigenous foundation models under the IndiaAI Mission, trained on vast domestic datasets and supporting the nation’s 22 official languages.
However, the summit faced criticism on its opening day as attendees reported long queues, overcrowding, organisational lapses, and theft of devices.
Reuters reported that unclear instructions left many delegates struggling to reclaim possessions after the exhibition building was cleared, without any prior announcements, ahead of security sweeps for high-level arrivals, including that of Prime Minister Modi.
NeoSapien Co-Founder and CEO Dhananjay Yadav said in a post on X that the company’s wearables were stolen when they were asked to move away from the stalls for security clearance.
“At 12 noon, security personnel arrived to sanitise and cordon off the area ahead of the visit by PM Modi visit at 2pm. I explained that we’re building India’s first patented AI wearable at NeoSapien and requested a chance to showcase it. One officer told others to let me stay, and they left,” he wrote on X.
“Then another group came and ordered us to leave immediately. Seemed like there was lack of co-ordination between the security itself. I asked: ‘Should we take our wearables?’ They said, others are leaving even laptops behind, security will take care.”
“Trusting them, I left. Hoping that the wearables will be safe, and If I am lucky, it might catch the eye of PM Modi. Gates were closed from 12–6pm. Much much longer than expected. Later we found out that our wearables were stolen,” he said.
Yadav said he was disappointed by the experience.
Speaking to the media, an official of Bengaluru-based AI startup YuVerse said higlighted the poor management on the first day. He said when the area was cleared for security checks, the participants, who hosted the stalls by paying a huge sum of money, were left stranded without even food or water.
He pointed out that even though there was a huge crowd and rush, there were no serious or industry folks — people who came for business. He added that most of the crowd was a “figure crowd”.
The person also raised concerns over poor and expensive WiFi connectivity and the lack of proper coordination channels.
“Gates are closed so could not access my own booth at the AI Summit. If you’re also stuck outside and wanted to visit the Bolna team, dm me,” Maitreya Wagh, co-founder of AI voice startup Bolna, wrote on X.
“We may set up a mini-booth at some Connaught Place cafe,” he added.
On social media, people raised several concerns, including the cash-only payment system at the venue, lack of seating or networking arrangements, and crashing of the registration system, among others.
