At AI Impact Summit, Modi shifts debate from tech to civilisation

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood before leaders from more than 100 countries at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, he was not merely launching a framework. He was attempting to reset the global conversation on artificial intelligence (AI)—and doing so from the Global South.

Calling AI a transformation comparable to the discovery of fire, the invention of script and the advent of wireless communication, Modi framed this moment as civilisational rather than technological. “Artificial Intelligence represents a transformation of the same magnitude as historic turning points in human civilisation,” he said, warning that the shift is unfolding at “unprecedented speed and unexpected scale.”

And that framing matters. By placing AI alongside epoch-defining shifts, Modi elevated the debate from product cycles and market capitalisation to responsibility and direction. “The real question is not what AI can do in the future, but what humanity chooses to do with AI in the present,” he said. The nuclear analogy he invoked was deliberate: technology without direction disrupts; with direction, it solves.

What Modi was effectively arguing is that AI governance cannot remain reactive. It must be anticipatory. In a world already shaped by social media’s unintended consequences, waiting for harm before acting is no longer an option. The civilisational framing is therefore strategic—it compels political systems to treat AI not as a sectoral issue, but as a societal contract.

A Governance Blueprint Rooted in Values

At the heart of this direction is the MANAV vision—Moral, Accountable, National Sovereignty, Accessible and Valid. It is both philosophical and regulatory.

The “M” demands ethical systems. The first “A” insists on transparent rules and oversight. “N” reasserts data sovereignty in an era of borderless platforms. The second “A” rejects monopoly and positions AI as a multiplier rather than a gatekeeper. “V” requires systems to be lawful and verifiable.

Taken together, MANAV attempts to reconcile innovation with restraint. Modi was explicit: “AI must be given an open sky, while command must remain in human hands.” His GPS analogy—the system suggests, the human decides—reinforces the principle of human primacy.

He also issued a caution that cuts to the core of the data economy: “Humans must not become mere data points or raw material for AI.” In one line, he challenged extractive data practices and warned against reducing citizenship to metadata.

The deeper implication is that sovereignty in the AI age is no longer confined to territory. It extends to data flows, model training, algorithmic influence and digital infrastructure. By embedding sovereignty within MANAV, India is asserting that technological dependence will increasingly translate into strategic dependence. Governance, therefore, becomes a matter of national resilience as much as ethics.

Democratising AI in a Divided World

Equally significant was Modi’s insistence that AI be democratised. In a landscape increasingly dominated by a handful of firms and geographies, access to compute, models, and datasets risks becoming a new axis of inequality.

By advocating open-source code and shared development, India is arguing that the concentration of AI capabilities may deepen digital divides. “Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” Modi said, defending transparency as a safeguard rather than a vulnerability. Open systems, in this reading, allow “millions of young minds to make AI better and safer.”

This is not simply a moral appeal; it is geopolitical logic. If AI architectures are closed and proprietary, governance will follow corporate contours rather than public interest. It also means that the democratisation of AI resources can serve as a mechanism to prevent technological feudalism.

This logic extends to content integrity. With deepfakes and synthetic media destabilising open societies, Modi called for authenticity labels and watermarking standards — digital equivalents of nutrition labels — so users can distinguish between real and generated content. Trust, he implied, must be built into architecture, not bolted on after a crisis. Without embedded standards, AI could erode democratic discourse faster than regulators can respond.

He also introduced child safety into the global AI conversation, arguing that just as school curricula are curated, AI ecosystems must be child-safe and family-guided. Governance, therefore, is not just about economics or geopolitics, but about social stability and generational responsibility.

Work, Scale and India’s Global Proposition

Modi rejected technological determinism in the labour debate. “The future of work in AI is not pre-defined, but will depend on collective decisions and actions,” he said.

The coming era, in his view, is one where humans and intelligent systems “co-create, co-work, and co-evolve.” AI will make work “smarter, more efficient, and more impactful,” opening higher-value and creative roles — provided societies invest in people. Hence, his call to make skilling, reskilling and lifelong learning a mass movement.

Here again, the analysis extends beyond rhetoric. A human-centric AI transition is impossible without human capability at scale. India’s demographic profile — representing one-sixth of humanity and home to the world’s largest youth population — makes it uniquely positioned to test whether large societies can align digital transformation with employment expansion.

Modi argued that the country’s diversity, demography and democracy make it a proving ground for inclusive AI systems. “Any AI model that succeeds in India can be deployed globally,” he said. The claim is not merely national pride; it reflects the complexity of building AI for multilingual, multicultural, high-density societies.

Backed by ambitions in semiconductors, quantum research, secure data centres and a dynamic startup ecosystem, India is positioning itself as a scalable and secure AI hub. “Some see fear in AI and those who see fortune,” Modi said. “India sees fortune and future in AI.”

His closing invitation distilled the ambition: “Design and Develop in India. Deliver to the World. Deliver to Humanity.”

That formulation binds sovereignty to service. It positions India’s AI strategy not as insular competition, but as participation in a global common good.

In a fragmented technological order, where AI risks becoming another arena of strategic rivalry, the MANAV framework offers a counter-narrative—one that insists the AI century must remain anchored in human values while acknowledging geopolitical realities.

If that belief translates into policy and multilateral adoption, the framework may well shape not only India’s technological path but also the moral architecture of the AI era itself.

PM Modi's speech was transcribed and edited with limited use of AI-based tools.