Vaishnaw apologises for Day 1 chaos at India AI Impact Summit

India's Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday apologised to attendees who faced difficulties on the opening day of the IndiaAI Mission’s India AI Impact Summit 2026, acknowledging the disruptions while describing the turnout as “phenomenal”.

Vaishnaw’s acknowledgement marks the first formal response from the government following the Day 1 criticism.

Addressing the media at Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam, where the summit is being held, Vaishnaw said more than 70,000 people had attended the event and that the energy among visitors, dignitaries and exhibitors was “palpable”.

“This is the biggest AI Summit in the world. The response was phenomenal. The energy is palpable. We can see the organisation is very smooth now. If anybody has faced any problems yesterday, we apologise for that,” the minister said.

He added that the government is open to feedback and that a “war room” has been operating since Monday to address concerns. “Whatever feedback you have, please share with us. We are open-minded. We will make efforts to make the experience smoother and enjoyable,” Vaishnaw said.

Day 1 Disruptions and Outcry

The minister’s remarks come a day after widespread complaints from attendees over overcrowding, access confusion and security-related delays during the summit’s opening on Monday.

Voice&Data, along with several other publications, reported on the operational strain witnessed on Day 1. Participants described long entry queues, QR code validation issues, badge confusion and extended security lockdowns ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to inaugurate the event.

Several attendees said they were asked to vacate halls for frisking shortly before the Prime Minister’s arrival, only to be held outside for extended periods. Others reported temporary confiscation of personal belongings and uncertainty over access permissions.

The heavy turnout—comprising startup founders, representatives of global technology firms and international delegates—underlined the scale of interest in what is being billed as one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence gatherings. However, the surge in footfall also led organisers to advise participants to allow extra time to navigate crowds and heightened security.

Startup Founder Caught Off Guard

Among the more serious claims to emerge from Day 1 was an account by Dhananjay Yadav, co-founder and CEO of NeoSapien, who said his team was asked to leave their exhibition space during security sanitisation and later discovered that their AI wearables were missing.

“I came genuinely excited. It was the first time the summit was being hosted in India, and I wanted to support the ecosystem and the government’s push,” Yadav said in a public statement.

According to him, security personnel began sanitising and cordoning off areas around noon. He said he informed officers that NeoSapien was building what he described as India’s first patented AI wearable and requested permission to remain and showcase the product.

“One officer told others to let me stay, and they left. Then another group came and ordered us to leave immediately. It seemed like there was a lack of coordination between the security teams,” he said.

Yadav said he asked whether the team should carry their wearables with them. “They said others are leaving even laptops behind and that security will take care,” he said, adding that he left the items in good faith.

He alleged that gates remained closed from approximately 12 pm to 6 pm and that, upon return, the wearables were missing. “We paid for flights, accommodation, logistics and the booth. Only to see our wearables disappear inside a high-security zone,” he said, calling the episode “extremely disappointing”.

There has been no official statement yet addressing the specific allegation.

Corrective Measures Underway

Organisers said corrective steps were taken throughout the day to ease congestion and improve coordination. According to officials, crowd flow and access management are expected to be smoother for the remainder of the summit.

While the opening hours exposed stress points in crowd management and access synchronisation, the summit’s sessions—many of which were streamed live—continued to draw strong participation and engagement.

As the India AI Impact Summit progresses, attention will now turn to whether the operational adjustments announced by the organisers restore attendees’ confidence in the days ahead.

The image accompanying this story was created using AI.