MANAV vision to anchor India’s AI push: PM Modi
Inaugurating the AI Impact Summit 2026 at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for ethical use of AI. Addressing a galaxy of world leaders, global CEOs, industrialists, innovators and AI stakeholders, PM Modi said, “Artificial Intelligence represents a transformation of the same magnitude as historic turning points in human civilization.”
Also present at the inauguration were President of France Emmanuel Macron, Secretary General of United Nations, Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Disanayaka and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic, Seychelles Vice President Sebastien Pillay, Estonia President Alar Karis, and Finland Prime Minister Petteri Orpo were among others at the event. PM said India is bringing together technology leaders and policymakers across the globe to deliberate on the future of artificial intelligence.
Highlighting that the scope for unethical behaviour is limitless in AI, PM Modi put forward suggestions for ethical use of AI including respecting data sovereignty, clear and transparent safety rules for platforms and bringing human values to AI. “Technology may be powerful, but direction will always be determined by human beings,” he said.
The PM also presented a vision for AI and named it MANAV with M standing for moral and ethical systems, A for accountable governance, N for national sovereignty, A for accessible and inclusive, V for valid and legitimate.
Highlighting the urgent need for global standards, the PM pointed out that deepfakes and fabricated content are destabilising open societies. He underlined the growing need for watermarking and clear source standards as AI increasingly generates text, images, and videos, stressing that trust must be built into technology from the start.
Emphasising the importance of child safety, the Prime Minister stated that just as school syllabi are curated, the AI space must also be child-safe and family-guided. He remarked that today there are two kinds of people-those who see fear in AI and those who see fortune.
Prime Minister Modi remarked that India’s vision for AI is clearly reflected in the theme of the summit- Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya-Welfare and happiness for all
