Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran on Monday called for urgent and coordinated action to adopt artificial intelligence (AI), stressing that India must seize the opportunity before it narrows. 

We must act and act now: CEA

Addressing the AI Impact Summit 2026 through a virtual message, Nageswaran said AI adoption must be a collaborative “Team India” effort involving the private sector, academia, and policymakers. “The window is open still, but it is not indefinite. We must act and act now,” he said, underlining the need for urgency. 

AI integration cannot happen by drift, says Nageswaran

He said that AI integration cannot happen by drift and requires a clear commitment to aligning technological advancement with mass employability. “For India, it is not a debate about the future of work; it is a decision about the future of growth and social stability,” he said. 

Nageswaran highlighted that while India creates millions of jobs annually, a significant skills gap remains, with only a small proportion of the workforce receiving formal training. “This gap is not just statistics, it’s a structural vulnerability,” he noted. 

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Policy shift focused on strengthening foundational education

To address this, he called for a decisive policy shift focused on strengthening foundational education, building high-quality skills, expanding labour-intensive service sectors, and removing regulatory bottlenecks. He said effective AI adoption would require political will, state capacity, institutional discipline and relentless execution. “With foresight and commitment, India can become the first large society to demonstrate true human abundance,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed global leaders to the summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, positioning India as a key player in shaping the global AI agenda. 

In a post on X ahead of the opening sessions, Modi said India was bringing the world together to deliberate on AI and extended a warm welcome to leaders, industry captains, innovators, policymakers and researchers. 

The summit is expected to see participation from 15–20 heads of government, over 50 ministers and more than 40 Indian and global CEOs, underscoring its scale and significance in the evolving AI landscape. More than 700 sessions are planned over five days, with a strong focus on AI safety, governance, ethical use, data protection and India’s approach to sovereign AI.