"Strong endorsement of our policy": Union Minister Vaishnaw on India's 'MANAV' vision on AI at Impact Summit

Speaking at a press conference in the national capital, Vaishnaw highlighted the international recognition for India's AI policy, which focuses on developing a sovereign bouquet of AI models across five layers.

"We also found very strong endorsement of our policy of working on all five layers and our focus on having a sovereign bouquet of models, the models which were released. In every bilateral that I had with the industry leaders, they were really surprised at the quality of output with such few resources... with such frugal resources, our engineers and researchers have produced such good models, which is what gives us huge, huge, useful," he said.

The minister also praised the engagement of India's youth in AI innovation, which was showcased during the Expo and Summit in Bharat Mandapam.

"We met very young innovators over the past few days who have done remarkable work in AI. This is very encouraging because if the youth sees that hope in this new world, they will have positivity about this technology," he added.

Vaishnaw further pointed out that the summit drew over 5 lakh participants and the quality of discussions was exceptional, and also noted that the involvement of 2.5 lakh students in the AI journey set a Guinness World Record, reflecting widespread enthusiasm and participation in India's AI ecosystem.

"PM Modi's vision is MANAV AI, and it was very well accepted globally. We also have a lot of investment pledges," Vaishnaw said, underlining India's growing prominence in shaping responsible, human-centric AI.

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled India's comprehensive "MANAV Vision" for artificial intelligence at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, outlining a human-centric framework for ethical, accountable and inclusive AI governance.

Addressing delegates at the summit in the national capital, the Prime Minister said, "Today at the New Delhi AI Impact Summit, I present the MANAV Vision for AI. MANAV means human."

Explaining the acronym, he said, "'M' stands for moral and ethical systems - AI should be based on ethical guidance. 'A' stands for accountable governance, meaning transparent rules and robust oversight. 'N' stands for national sovereignty - data belongs to its rightful owner. 'A' stands for accessible and inclusive - AI should be a multiplier, not a monopoly. 'V' stands for valid and legitimate - AI should be lawful and verifiable."

The PM asserted that the MANAV Vision would serve as a guiding framework for the global AI ecosystem while stressing the need for stronger safeguards, particularly for children.

The India AI Impact Summit, the first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South, reflects on the transformative potential of AI aligning with the national vision of "Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya" (welfare for all, happiness for all) and the global principle of AI for Humanity. This summit is part of an evolving international process aimed at strengthening global cooperation on the governance, safety and societal impact of AI. (ANI)