New Delhi, February 17 (IANS). Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Wednesday announced that educational institutions across the country will be equipped with AI technology based tools. With this, students will get practical knowledge of new technologies and will be able to develop their own solutions.
In conversation with Shraddha Sharma, Founder, YourStory, during the India-AI Impact Summit 2026, Vaishnav spoke at length on the opportunities, investment and innovation potential arising from this global conference.
The AI Impact Summit is recognized as one of the world’s leading Artificial Intelligence forums, hosting wide-ranging discussions on ethical AI, regulatory frameworks and the role of advanced technologies that are transforming industries and public services.
More than 110 countries and 30 international organizations are participating in this five-day summit, which includes about 20 heads of state or government and about 45 ministers. It is one of the largest events focused on AI governance and collaboration.
Talking about India’s progress, Vaishnav said, “The country is making rapid progress on all five levels of AI. There is tremendous enthusiasm about this new technology among investors, venture capital firms and youth.”
He said that many big solutions have emerged during the summit. He said, “I am happy that India will bring to the world the next healthcare model and the next agricultural productivity model, which will be our contribution at the global level.”
The minister said that through this summit, investment of about 200 billion dollars has been attracted in the infrastructure sector.
Additionally, an investment of approximately $17 billion has been committed in deep-tech and application layer. He said that venture capital firms are showing special interest in this area.
“The world has confidence in India’s ability to develop AI-based solutions, create new models and drive innovation at the population level,” he said.
Addressing young developers and entrepreneurs, Vaishnav said that it is necessary to prepare the education system for the fifth industrial revolution.
He said that changes are being made in the curriculum of schools and colleges, which will be implemented after the summit. He said, “We will work on the next edition of the AI Mission under which AI solutions and AI-based tools will be made available to students so that they can learn and become familiar with the technology. There is going to be a wide spread of AI in the country.”
Regarding startups, he said that the government will fully support them. He said that $17 billion of funding has been promised by credible venture capital firms.
He said that India is one of the top three startup ecosystems in the world today. Where there were only 400-500 startups a decade ago, today their number has crossed 2 lakh. The world is recognizing the entrepreneurial energy of our people.
Regarding the semiconductor sector, Vaishnav said that about 50 deep-tech startups can emerge in this sector in the coming years. He indicated that the commercial start of semiconductor production is going to happen soon. “Very soon, commercial production will start from one of the 10 units. Its official announcement will be made soon,” he said.
The AI Impact Summit brings together global leaders, policy-makers and technology experts to discuss the transformative potential of AI to drive economic growth, better governance and social progress.
The event aims to connect AI initiatives with India’s civilizational philosophy of ‘Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaay’ and advance the principle of ‘AI for Humanity’.
India-AI Impact Summit 2026 is the fourth edition of this series. Earlier this conference was held in United Kingdom in 2023, South Korea in 2024 and France in 2025.
The platform seeks to discuss the ethical, economic and social impacts of AI, as well as strengthen partnerships in digital technology, trade, culture, tourism and maritime cooperation.
–IANS
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