Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for global standards to manage the risks posed by artificial intelligence, warning that deepfakes and synthetic content could undermine trust in democratic societies if left unchecked. The text of Modi’s address, delivered after the India AI Impact Summit 2026, was provided to CivilNet by the Embassy of India in Armenia.
Speaking after the summit in New Delhi, Modi said digital content should carry authenticity labels, similar to nutrition labels on food products, and urged countries to cooperate on watermarking and source verification mechanisms.
“As generative systems flood the world with content, trust is the foundation on which AI’s future rests,” he said, adding that India has already introduced legal requirements mandating clear labeling of synthetically generated material.
The five-day summit, held from Feb. 16 to 20, brought together representatives from more than 100 countries, along with technology firms, researchers and policymakers. Armenia was among the participating nations, reflecting growing international engagement in debates over AI governance.
Modi framed artificial intelligence as a transformative force comparable to fire, writing, electricity and the internet, but said its pace of change is unprecedented. “Changes that once took decades can unfold within weeks and impact the entire planet,” he said.
While acknowledging AI’s economic and technological potential, Modi stressed that the technology must remain human-centric. Invoking the Sanskrit principle Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya — “Welfare for All, Happiness of All” — he argued that AI should serve public good rather than narrow commercial or strategic interests.
India used the summit to present a governance proposal known as the MANAV framework — “manav” meaning “human” in Hindi. The framework outlines five pillars: Moral and Ethical Systems, Accountable Governance, National Sovereignty over data, Accessible and Inclusive systems, and Valid and Legitimate oversight. The proposal seeks to anchor AI development in ethical standards, transparent regulation and respect for national data rights.
Modi also positioned India as an advocate for emerging economies in the global AI debate, saying the technology should open “new doors of progress for the Global South” rather than widen digital divides.
Beyond governance, the prime minister highlighted domestic applications of AI in agriculture and multilingual services. He cited “Sarlaben,” an AI-powered assistant launched by dairy cooperative AMUL, which provides real-time guidance to millions of dairy farmers, most of them women, in their own languages. Another initiative, Bharat VISTAAR, offers multilingual agricultural inputs ranging from weather updates to market prices.
India is also expanding its computing infrastructure under the India AI Mission, deploying thousands of graphics processing units (GPUs) and building a national AI repository to broaden access to datasets and models. Modi said affordable computing power would allow smaller startups to compete globally.
He predicted that AI would reshape labor markets much as the internet did, creating new professions as humans and intelligent systems increasingly “co-create and co-evolve.” India’s large youth population and investments in skilling and reskilling programs, he added, would be key to harnessing those opportunities.
“Design and develop in India. Deliver to the world. Deliver to humanity,” Modi said, inviting international collaboration while calling for safeguards to ensure that AI remains aligned with human values.
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