AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: A shirtless protest by Indian Youth Congress workers led to a political slugfest as the BJP slammed the Congress and branded the stir as “characterless, brainless, and emotionless.”
Key Events
- 11 Mins ago: What police said on Youth Congress protest
- 21 Mins ago: Youth Congress defends ‘Rahul Gandhi’s soldiers'
- 33 Mins ago: Latest on those detained from AI Summit venue after protest
- 44 Mins ago: IMF MD sounds alarm over AI risks in job market
- 57 Mins ago: Security at AI Summit to be heightened after protest
- 59 Mins ago: How the protest at AI Summit venue unfolded
- 1 Hr 8 Mins ago: 10 Youth Congress workers detained for protest at Bharat Mandapam
- 1 Hr 20 Mins ago: Vaishnaw's dig at opposition
- 1 Hr 33 Mins ago: Indian Youth Congress workers detained after protest
- 1 Hr 47 Mins ago: Indian Youth Congress workers protest at Bharat Mandapam
- 8:03 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘India will provide global leadership in AI,’ Chandrababu Naidu
- 7:35 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘Secretary Rubio to visit India soon,’ says Sergio Gor
- 7:17 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘Prez Lula, PM Modi not just colleagues, they’re friends', says Brazilian envoy
- 7:07 AM IST, Feb 20: AI can transform healthcare in areas lacking specialists, says ex-WHO deputy director
- 6:44 AM IST, Feb 20: Sundar Pichai congratulates US, India on Pax Silica signing
- 6:34 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘Stay Tuned,’ US envoy Sergio Gor on possible Modi-Trump meeting
- 6:19 AM IST, Feb 20: UN chief interacts with AI prodigy Raul John Aju
- 6:07 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘Pax Silica very important for semiconductor supply chain’ says Ashwini Vaishnaw
- 5:53 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘Incredible opportunity to move forward with the world', says MP CM Mohan Yadav
- 5:32 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘AI revolution is here to stay’, says Sergio Gor
- 5:22 AM IST, Feb 20: India joins Pax Silicia
- 5:02 AM IST, Feb 20: What is Pax Silicia?
- 4:57 AM IST, Feb 20: India joins US' Pax Silica initiative
- 4:51 AM IST, Feb 20: Traffic snarls continue in Delhi
- 4:39 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘Agriculture must sit at the heart of this mission,’ Devendra Fadnavis
- 4:35 AM IST, Feb 20: Devendra Fadnavis says under PM Modi's leadership, ‘India has placed responsible AI at centre’
- 4:30 AM IST, Feb 20: Prince Dhawan of REC says ‘AI won’t scale unless your power is programmable'
- 4:19 AM IST, Feb 20: World leaders calls for trust, balance and stronger global cooperation
- 3:57 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘Attendance of Presidents, Prime Ministers, and world leaders’ - Shashi Tharoor
- 3:41 AM IST, Feb 20: Who is Dario Amodei, US CEO who refused to hold Sam Altman’s hand on AI summit stage?
- 3:26 AM IST, Feb 20: Brazilian President, other leaders to hold ‘Brazilian Perspectives on the Future of AI’ session
- 3:17 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘New Delhi Frontier AI’ pact pushes inclusive global artificial intelligence, said Ashwini Vaishnaw
- 3:10 AM IST, Feb 20: Chandrababu Naidu, Himanta Sarma to address the summit today
- 3:01 AM IST, Feb 20: Mukesh Ambani pledges ₹10 lakh cr investment to make AI affordable
- 2:49 AM IST, Feb 20: Delhi traffic police' fresh curbs for AI Impact Summit today
- 2:46 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘Only a couple of years away from true superintelligence' - Sam Altman at AI Summit
- 2:41 AM IST, Feb 20: ‘AI can do many things, but can't fix Delhi's traffic’: Rishi Sunak's banter at AI summit
- 2:32 AM IST, Feb 20: PM Modi says discussions at CEO roundtable ‘insightful, forward-looking’
- 2:22 AM IST, Feb 20: What's happening in India with AI is really amazing, says Sam Altman
AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Indian Youth Congress workers stage a topless protest at Bharat Mandapam during the India AI Impact Summit 2026, in New Delhi on Friday.
AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Chaos unfolded at the AI Impact Summit 2026 venue on Friday afternoon after a group of protesters, allegedly from the Indian Youth Congress, marched inside the venue and raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India-US trade deal. The protesters were seen carrying or wearing T-shirts with slogans such as ‘PM is compromised’, ‘India-US trade deal’ and ‘Epstein Files’, news agency PTI reported. The protest led to a political slugfest as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the Congress and branded the stir as “characterless, brainless, and emotionless.”
India formally joined United States' major AI initiative Pax Silica on Friday, the fifth day of the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026. Pax Silica is US' flagship effort on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and supply chain security.
Additionally, the fifth and the conclusive day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 will be marked by several key discussions, including on reimagining India's education system, the US-India partnership powering the AI era, AI in negotiations and diplomacy, data sovereignty, collective AI for Indian society, among many others.
The fifth day of the summit may also witness adoption of the Leaders’ Declaration which would affirm collective commitments and outlining a shared road map for global AI governance and collaboration. High-level Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) council meetings will also take place.
This comes a day after PM Modi addressed the summit on Thursday and sought to frame India as a key player in AI ecosystem. During his address, PM Modi called for stronger guardrails to regulate emerging technologies and underlined the transformative potential of AI. He also emphasized on key topics such as child safety, and called for more democratisation of artificial intelligence.
He also hosted several heads of state at the Summit on Thursday and also held a CEO Roundtable which brought together several stakeholders from the world of AI. "The discussions were insightful and forward-looking, focused on scaling AI responsibly, strengthening global collaboration and unlocking opportunities for growth," he said in a post on X.
PM Modi's ‘MANAV’ vision
PM Modi, during his address on Sunday, presented India's ‘MANAV’ vision of approaching AI. ‘MANAV’, meaning human, stands for - "M stands for moral and ethical systems. A stands for accountable governance, transparent rules and robust oversight. N stands for national sovereignty - whose data, their rights. The second A stands for accessible and inclusive, not an AI monopoly, but a multiplier. V stands for valid and legitimate. This vision will be an important link in the welfare of humanity," said the Prime Minister.
Sam Altman says ‘true superintelligence’ may be just couple of years away
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman delivered a keynote address the AI Summit on Thursday and said that superintelligence may be only a couple of years away but also warned that there may be a need of “something like the IAEA” to govern what follows.
"On our current trajectory, we believe we may be only a couple of years away from early versions of true superintelligence," Altman said. "By the end of 2028, more of the world’s intellectual capacity could reside inside of data centres than outside," he added.
Follow all the updates here:
Feb 20, 2026 3:24:14 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: A shirtless protest by he workers of the Youth Congress workers has prompted a legal action by the Delhi . The protestors had registered for the summit online, Additional Commissioner of Police Devesh Mahla told ANI, adding the protestors were wearing sweaters and jackets over objectionable T-shirts. Near Hall Number 5, one of them removed his outer clothing and waved the T-shirt in protest. The official added that appropriate legal action is being taken and that those detained are being identified.
Feb 20, 2026 3:14:31 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Following the shirtless protest by Youth Congress workers at AI Impact Summit, the party defended the workers saying the demonstration reflected the anger of unemployed youth across the country. "Our Youth Congress colleagues are Rahul Gandhi's soldiers. They won't be intimidated. When there wasn't an FIR against Rahul Gandhi, the ED case dragged on for so many years. He was summoned for questioning so many times," Indian Youth Congress National President Uday Bhanu Chib told news agency ANI.
Feb 20, 2026 3:02:43 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Police told HT that four persons have been detained following the protest at AI Summit venue in Delhi. Police also said a legal action will be taken against them.
Feb 20, 2026 2:51:38 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Dr Kristalina Georgieva, has sounded alarm over the impact of AI on job market. "Optimistic about AI, but it poses significant risks; could bring Tsunami in job market," Georgieva was quoted as saying by PTI.
Feb 20, 2026 2:38:45 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: The security at the AI Impact Summit 2026 is likely to be heightened following the protest allegedly by the Indian Youth Congress workers, PTI reported, quoting a Delhi Police official who termed the incident as ‘unfortunate’.
Feb 20, 2026 2:36:39 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: On Friday afternoon, with T-shirts having images of PM Modi and US President Trump, around 10 protesters marched inside Hall No 5 of the Bharat Mandapam where the AI Impact Summit is being held. They raised slogans on India-US trade deal and ‘PM is compromised’. While they were not carrying any party flag, one of the protesters said that they were from Youth Congress, PTI reported. The protest lasted for a few minutes and the group was taken out of the hall. The commotion caught the guests and other visitors by surprise.
Feb 20, 2026 2:27:17 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: A group of India Youth Congress (IYC) workers staged a brief protest at an exhibition hall of the AI Impact Summit. A senior police officer said that around 10 people were detained when they were protesting at the AI Summit.
"They were removed immediately and were taken to Tilak Marg police station. No one will be allowed to breach law and order situation," the officer said as per PTI.
The protesters marched inside Hall No 5, wearing or holding white T-shirts with images of Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump printed on them along with slogans such as "India US Trade Deal", "Epstein Files" and "PM is compromised", soon resulting in a commotion.
Feb 20, 2026 2:15:18 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE: As India formally joined the United States’ flagship initiative Pax Silica on Friday at the ongoing AI Impact summit, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw did not leave the opportunity to take a dig at the opposition while he was on the stage.
While talking about AI chips, the minister took a ‘potato chip’ jibe at the opposition and said that they will keep crying but India must move forward.
"There are some people who talk about ‘chips’ which only remind me of ‘potato chips’. Let them be, they will keep crying. Sometimes they cry in the Parliament…All that will keep going on but we must keep moving forward in a clear direction," the union minister was heard saying.
Feb 20, 2026 2:02:11 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: At least four Indian Youth Congress workers were detained after protesting at Bharat Mandapam. The police said that they are taking legal action against them, reported news agency ANI.
Feb 20, 2026 1:48:29 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Some members of the Indian Youth Congress staged a protest at Bharat Mandapam and chanted anti-Modi slogans on Friday.
Feb 20, 2026 1:33:53 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: As Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu arrived for AI summit, he said, “We are all very happy. Our Prime Minister is promoting India's AI globally. This is an inspiring time. Everything is happening in India. India will provide global leadership in AI and related industries.
“Not just AI, integrated data centres, AI, quantum, you name it. We are very happy. Things are happening positively. We are living in an inspiring time. Everybody has to work in that direction," he added.
Feb 20, 2026 1:05:49 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India very soon “in a matter of months”.
"Secretary Rubio will be travelling to India very soon, in a matter of months. And so that'll be part of the Quad, along with many other initiatives," Gor said.
Feb 20, 2026 12:47:54 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Brazil’s Ambassador to India, Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega said that Brazilian President Lula and PM Modi have a very good chemistry and they are not only colleagues but also friends.
“President Lula has come to India with the largest ever delegation, with more than 11 cabinet ministers, more than 300 businessmen, among them 50 CEOs. This is taking the bilateral relations historically to a new level," he said.
“This is a historical summit in the Global South, and the Prime Minister Modi is really trying to include the Global South in this essential new wave of technology, which is AI, which will transform our lives. Yes, India definitely is becoming a new hub for AI," he added.
Feb 20, 2026 12:37:53 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: Former Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Soumya Swaminathan, on Friday said artificial intelligence can have a significant positive impact on healthcare, especially in regions where specialist doctors are scarce.
"AI can have a lot of very positive impact in healthcare, particularly since we know that we have a lot of places in India as well as in other parts of the world like Africa where we don't have specialists, you don't have radiologists, psychiatrists, pathologists. One very simple solution of AI is image recognition or pattern recognition. So, reading X-rays, reading pathology slides, those things can be done quite well, provided the algorithm is trained well on a good data set," Swaminathan told reporters. (ANI)
Feb 20, 2026 12:14:37 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: As India formally joined US' flagship AI initiative Pax Silica on Friday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai congratulated both the countries and said, "Pax Silica focuses on making sure that the supply chains are safe and secure and encourages greater commercial partnerships across key technologies. So let me congratulate the US and India on this historic moment. Alongside the recent trade agreement, this will lay a strong foundation for a robust US-India tech partnership for many years to come."
Feb 20, 2026 12:04:19 PM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, on Friday said that a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump will take place at the right time.
"Stay tuned, I'm sure it'll happen at the right moment," Gor told news agency ANI on the sidelines of India AI Impact Summit when asked about the possibility of a meeting between PM Modi and Trump.
Feb 20, 2026 11:49:30 AM
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AI Summit 2026 LIVE updates: At the ongoing AI summit, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, interacted with AI prodigy Raul John Aju.
