Unlike thousands elsewhere, lakhs turned up for India AI Summit: Ex-IT minister shares data to dispel ‘narrative’
New Delhi, Feb 18 (LatestNewsX) Amidst the uproar over alleged mismanagement and chaos at the ongoing India AI Summit at Bharat Mandapam, former Information and Technology (IT) minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday sought to defend the organisation of the ‘largest ever’ AI-related congregation in India, bringing hordes of tech giants and global leaders under one roof for elaborate discussion and deliberations on Artificial Intelligence and deep tech.
He drew a comparison between the AI Summits, held in India, Europe and other parts of the world in the past two years, sharing the scale and intensity of participation and in turn suggesting the possible reason behind botched-up arrangements at the Bharat Mandapam.
“The India AI Impact Summit 2026 attracted reported attendance over 300,000 already – compared to the few thousands in other summits,” he informed and also shared data on turnouts at previous such congregations.
According to information shared by him, a similar AI Summit in UK’s Bletchley Park (November 2023) drew attendees in the range of hundreds while in South Korea’s Seoul (May 2024), similar turnout occurred with people participating in hybrid mode while the one in France’s Paris (February 2005) saw moderate congregation with over few thousand AI enthusiasts and experts gathering for the deliberations.
Chandrasekhar further said that the India AI Impact Summit showcases India’s capability and strength in demonstrating before the world how it can harness technology and innovation for the benefit of 1.4 crore Indians.
Notably, the first-of-its-kind AI Summit gave the Opposition a chance to lambast the government over ‘inept and inefficient’ handling of an event, which it claimed could have been a game-changer.
The issue also found traction on social media, eliciting remarks from netizens and the Congress launching a scathing critique of the government, holding it accountable for the “chaos” that unfolded. It said that AI could have been a showpiece at the AI event, but it became a “victim of PR hungry government.”
Rajeev Chandrasekhar admitted that the summit had some organisational flaws and attributed the alleged mismanagement to the huge participation of Indians, who remain key stakeholders in PM Modi’s vision of digital, tech and AI.
“This summit represents an important milestone for PM Modi’s vision of an India Techade,” he added.
He also stated that the Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and his team were considerate enough to express regret for some inconvenience at the Summit; however, it was the unprecedented interest and excitement among the countrymen regarding India’s role and contribution in shaping the AI landscape that led to unprecedented circumstances, though isolated.
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