A two-day global summit in New Delhi on October 22 and 23 brought together political leaders, diplomats, economists, technology specialists, entrepreneurs and cultural figures for discussions framed around a world shifting between established and emerging orders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the first day, while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other speakers addressed India’s international role, geopolitics, technology and global economic change. The program also included sessions on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductor ambitions, economic growth and the future of work.
Artificial intelligence was a central thread across the event. Computer scientist Andrew Ng said software engineering was among the professions most affected by AI, while also arguing that people who continue learning new skills will find employment. Entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath said India’s advantage in the AI era remained its supply of relatively low-cost talent and warned that funding for AI startups could become harder to obtain as investors demand stronger evidence of revenue. Former CIA director General David Petraeus was scheduled to discuss how AI is changing the battlefield and its implications for cybersecurity.
The summit also featured Eline van der Velden, founder and chief executive of Particle 6, and Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated performer created through her company’s work. Van der Velden said building Tilly required two years of human effort and creativity. She argued that AI performers should not replace real actors and that the technology could broaden participation in creative work. Both Van der Velden and Tilly backed protections for performers’ likenesses and consent. Tilly said Shah Rukh Khan was her favourite Indian actor and that she would like to become a digital twin of Deepika Padukone, while stressing that she was not intended to replace her.
Diplomatic and strategic questions formed another major part of the agenda. Jaishankar said India wanted good relations with Pakistan and all its neighbours but would not overlook terrorism to preserve those ties, pointing to the lasting significance of the 26/11 attacks. UAE Economy and Tourism Minister Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri described India-UAE ties as a partnership that had grown beyond the need for a signing ceremony to advance. Other discussions covered the Middle East, India-Nepal economic relations, Ukraine, global trade routes and the use of economic pressure in an increasingly fragmented international system.
Modi presented India as a leading force in digital innovation and startup activity and said the country had assisted more than 100 nations with vaccines and medicines during periods of need. The summit was set to close with a conversation involving actor, producer and entrepreneur Kriti Sanon, linking the event’s technology debates with questions about creativity, identity and consent.