Governance Summit 2026: MeitY, ISB on 'Inclusive AI for Viksit Bharat'

MeitY and ISB convened the Governance Summit 2026, themed 'Inclusive AI for Viksit Bharat', to discuss leveraging AI for inclusive growth, governance reforms, and last-mile public service delivery across healthcare, education, and safety.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with Indian School of Business (ISB), convened the Governance Summit 2026 with a focus on using artificial intelligence for inclusive growth, governance reforms and last-mile public service delivery. The summit, themed "Inclusive AI for Viksit Bharat", brought together senior government officials, industry representatives, academics and civil society organisations to discuss the use of AI across sectors such as healthcare, education, digital commerce, entrepreneurship and public safety. Organised by the Bharti Institute of Public Policy at ISB, the summit featured panel discussions on AI's role in digital commerce, online safety for women and children, healthcare access and affordability, and job creation and digital entrepreneurship. A parallel roundtable discussion examined how AI can be operationalised for last-mile public service delivery at the level of state governments and gram panchayats.

Government's Vision for Inclusive AI

Delivering the inaugural keynote address, MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan said the government is committed to building an AI ecosystem that benefits all sections of society, including those at the margins of the digital economy. "Artificial intelligence presents India with a transformative opportunity to enhance productivity, improve governance, and expand access across sectors such as healthcare, education, manufacturing, and financial inclusion," Krishnan said. He also said that while concerns over AI's impact on cognitive jobs are understandable, India is positioned to use the technology for inclusive growth.

AI as a Long-Term National Mission

In his opening remarks, Ashwini Chhatre, Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Bharti Institute of Public Policy at ISB, said AI should be viewed as a long-term national mission. "AI must be viewed as a long-term national mission shaping the future of the next generation," Chhatre said. He identified inequality, leapfrogging opportunities and the future of jobs as key aspects of the emerging AI landscape and stressed the need for safeguards, social security mechanisms and affirmative action to ensure equitable access to AI opportunities.

Key Participants and Collaborators

The summit saw participation from organisations including Reliance Retail, Mastercard, Apollo Hospitals, IIT Madras, UNICEF India and the Punjab Police, along with representatives from several central and state government ministries. (ANI)

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