Indian AI startups should aim for global leadership, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said global trust in India is the country’s greatest strength and underlined the need for Indian artificial intelligence models to be ethical, unbiased, transparent and rooted in strong data privacy principles.

According to a PTI report, Modi said Indian startups should work towards global leadership from within the country, adding that India is well positioned to promote affordable and inclusive AI, as well as frugal innovation, on the global stage.

Chairing a roundtable discussion with Indian AI startups ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the prime minister suggested that Indian AI models should be distinctive in nature and actively promote local and indigenous content, including regional languages, an official statement stated. He informed participants that startups and AI entrepreneurs are the co-architects of India’s future.

As many as 12 Indian AI startups that have qualified for the AI for ALL: Global Impact Challenge summit, scheduled to be held next month, attended the roundtable and presented their ideas and work. During the interaction, Modi highlighted the transformative role artificial intelligence can play across society.

He noted that India will host the India AI Impact Summit next month, through which the country aims to play a significant role in shaping the global technology landscape. Modi stated that India is making concerted efforts to drive transformation by leveraging artificial intelligence across sectors.

Reiterating that startups and AI entrepreneurs are central to the country’s future, the prime minister said India has immense capacity not only for innovation but also for large-scale implementation. He stated that the country should present a unique AI model to the world that reflects the ethos of Made in India, Made for the World.

The participating startups are working across a wide range of domains, including Indian language foundation models, multilingual large language models, speech-to-text, text-to-audio and text-to-video technologies, 3D content creation using generative AI for e-commerce, marketing and personalised content, engineering simulations, material research, advanced analytics for data-driven decision-making across industries, and healthcare diagnostics and medical research.

During the meeting, AI startup leaders commended India’s strong commitment to advancing the artificial intelligence ecosystem, highlighting the sector’s rapid growth and long-term potential. They observed that the centre of gravity for AI innovation and deployment is gradually shifting towards India and stated that the country now offers a robust and enabling environment for AI development, firmly positioning it on the global AI map.

The roundtable was attended by CEOs, founders and representatives of Indian AI startups including Avataar, BharatGen, Fractal, Gan, Genloop, Gnani, Intellihealth, Sarvam, Shodh AI, Soket AI, Tech Mahindra and Zenteiq. Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State Jitin Prasada were also present at the meeting.