New Delhi witnessed a landmark event last week with the India AI Impact Summit 2026, underscoring artificial intelligence’s transformative potential for India’s ambitious goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. Binay Kumar Singh, Director of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Research Foundation, emphasized in an exclusive interview that AI will be the cornerstone of future-building as India marks a century of independence.
Singh highlighted the government’s resolute push against Naxalism, setting a firm deadline of March 31 for its eradication, with surrenders signaling progress. However, he sharply criticized Youth Congress activists for staging protests during the summit, calling it an inappropriate politicization of a platform dedicated to national advancement. Such actions, he warned, tarnish India’s global image.
He urged Rahul Gandhi to unequivocally condemn these disruptions and address indiscipline within his party ranks. ‘Technology, especially AI, is indispensable for development,’ Singh asserted, pointing to the summit as proof of India’s alignment with cutting-edge innovations.
Prof. Diwan Singh Rawat, Vice-Chancellor of Kumaun University, described the event as one of the world’s largest AI gatherings, attended by representatives from over 100 countries and tech luminaries. India’s contributions to AI have earned global acclaim, he noted, crediting government initiatives for this success.
Rawat illustrated AI’s impact with drug discovery, slashing timelines from 15-18 years to just 5-6 years. He praised advancements in digital infrastructure, highways, and transactions, alongside startup ecosystem boosts fueling AI growth. Deploring the protests as unfortunate, he advocated for constructive dissent rooted in facts, invoking Sushma Swaraj’s example of robust opposition.