S. Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), on 25 May 2026 said that artificial intelligence presents India with a transformative opportunity to strengthen productivity, deepen financial inclusion, and widen access to critical sectors including healthcare, education, and manufacturing. His remarks came during the Governance Summit 2026: Inclusive AI for Viksit Bharat, held in New Delhi.

Key Developments at the Summit

The summit was jointly organised by MeitY and the Bharti Institute of Public Policy at the Indian School of Business (ISB). The day-long programme featured four thematic panel discussions covering 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 examined how AI can be operationalised for last-mile public service delivery, spanning state governments down to gram panchayats. The event drew participation from leading technology companies, IIT Madras, UNICEF India, and several central and state government ministries.

What the Government Said

Krishnan stressed the government's commitment to building an AI ecosystem that serves every citizen, including those at the margins of the digital economy. He acknowledged that concerns remain around AI's impact on cognitive jobs, but maintained that India is uniquely positioned to harness the technology for inclusive growth.

The MeitY secretary's remarks signal a clear policy direction: AI adoption must be broad-based, not concentrated among urban or economically privileged segments of the population.

Academic and Industry Perspective

Prof. Ashwini Chhatre, Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Bharti Institute of Public Policy at ISB, emphasised the need to translate AI ambitions into actionable governance frameworks. 'AI must be viewed as a long-term national mission shaping the future of the next generation and identifying as leapfrogging opportunities and the future of jobs as key dimensions of the emerging AI landscape,' he said.

Prof. Chhatre also stressed that access to AI opportunities must remain equitable through appropriate safeguards, social security mechanisms, and affirmative action — pointing to a gap between policy intent and implementation that policymakers must urgently close.

Broader Significance

The summit brought together senior government officials, industry leaders, academics, and civil society representatives to examine how AI can deepen inclusion, strengthen governance, and accelerate India's development agenda under the Viksit Bharat vision. This comes amid a global race to regulate and deploy AI responsibly, with India positioning itself as a voice for the Global South in shaping inclusive AI governance norms.

With the government's IndiaAI Mission already underway, the summit underscores a shift from aspirational AI rhetoric toward structured, sector-specific deployment strategies — particularly for public services that have historically struggled to reach the last mile.