Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a strategic roundtable meeting with leading Indian artificial intelligence startups on Thursday, reinforcing the government's vision to establish India as a global leader in ethical and inclusive AI development. The closed-door session at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg comes ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, signaling the administration's commitment to indigenous AI innovation.

Startup Participation and Focus Areas

The meeting brought together 12 Indian AI startups that have qualified under the Foundation Model Pillar of the IndiaAI Mission. These companies represent diverse AI applications spanning multiple sectors and technological domains.

Prime Minister's Vision for Indian AI

Modi characterized startups and AI entrepreneurs as the "co-architects of India's future," emphasizing artificial intelligence's transformative potential across sectors. He articulated a distinctive vision for Indian AI development, advocating for models that embody the philosophy of "Made in India, Made for the World."

The Prime Minister outlined specific principles that should guide Indian AI development:

• Ethical foundation: AI models must maintain ethical standards and transparency
• Bias elimination: Systems should be unbiased and fair
• Data privacy: Strong anchoring in data privacy principles
• Inclusive design: Focus on regional languages and local content
• Accessibility: Ensuring AI adoption remains inclusive across diverse populations

Government Support and Global Ambitions

Modi assured participating startups of comprehensive government support for developing and deploying their AI models, encouraging them to pursue global leadership from India. He highlighted India's unique opportunity to champion affordable and frugal AI solutions on the international stage, positioning the country as a provider of cost-effective AI innovations.

Sarvam AI, one of the participating companies, characterized the discussion as focusing on India's opportunity to develop AI as national infrastructure rather than merely a research domain. The startup described it as a pivotal moment where "choices made now begin to matter for everyone."

Meeting Participants and Leadership

The roundtable included representatives from a diverse group of AI startups working across various technological domains:

Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State Jitin Prasada attended the meeting, demonstrating high-level government engagement with the AI startup ecosystem. The session represents a significant step in India's strategy to build indigenous AI capabilities while maintaining ethical standards and promoting inclusive technological development.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a strategic roundtable meeting with leading Indian AI startups on Wednesday, emphasizing the critical importance of developing ethical, transparent, and privacy-focused artificial intelligence solutions. The meeting, held at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, brought together 12 innovative startups that have qualified for the prestigious AI for ALL: Global Impact Challenge.

Key Participants and Government Representation

The roundtable featured prominent Indian AI companies working across diverse technological domains. Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State Jitin Prasada participated in the discussions, underscoring the government's commitment to AI development.

Diverse AI Innovation Landscape

The participating startups demonstrated India's comprehensive AI capabilities across multiple sectors. Their work encompasses Indian language foundation models, multilingual large language models, and advanced speech-to-text and text-to-video technologies. Several companies focus on 3D generative content for e-commerce and marketing, while others specialize in engineering simulations, materials research, and advanced data analytics for data-driven decision-making across various industries, with significant emphasis on healthcare diagnostics and medical research applications.

Prime Minister's Vision for Indian AI

Modi articulated a comprehensive vision positioning India as a global AI leader while maintaining ethical standards. He emphasized that startups and AI entrepreneurs serve as co-architects of India's technological future, highlighting the country's immense capacity for both innovation and large-scale implementation. The Prime Minister stressed that India should present a unique AI model reflecting the "Made in India, Made for the World" philosophy, promoting indigenous content and regional languages.

Ethical AI Development Framework

The Prime Minister outlined specific principles for Indian AI development, emphasizing the need for ethical, unbiased, and transparent AI models grounded in robust data privacy principles. He advocated for Indian AI solutions to promote affordable, inclusive, and frugal innovation globally. Modi specifically highlighted the importance of developing AI systems with strong safeguards for data privacy while ensuring they remain accessible and inclusive.

India's Emerging AI Leadership

Startup leaders shared insights about the rapid growth and vast future potential of India's AI sector, noting that the center of gravity for artificial intelligence innovation and deployment is shifting toward India. They emphasized that India now provides a robust and enabling environment for AI development, firmly establishing the country's position on the global AI map. Modi assured participants of full government support for the success of their AI models and urged them to aim for international leadership.

Strategic Implications

The roundtable precedes the India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled for next month, which will showcase India's AI capabilities on a global platform. Modi emphasized that the world's trust in India represents the country's biggest strength in pursuing technological leadership. He stressed the transformative potential of artificial intelligence and said India would play a major role in shaping the global technology landscape through the upcoming summit.