Table of Contents
Highlights
- India AI Impact Summit 2026 positions India as a global leader in AI governance and innovation.
- Mozilla open-source AI investment to strengthen digital sovereignty and resilience.
- Summit themes—People, Planet, Progress—connect AI to society, economy, and sustainability.
- Cultural and creative initiatives highlight AI’s impact on art, inclusion, and global collaboration.
It will take place between February 16th and 20th of 2026 and be held in New Delhi and feature leaders from over 100 countries, large corporations, policymakers, and technology experts.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is a watershed moment for India in establishing itself as a global leader in the ongoing dialogue around AI. This is the first large-scale global meeting focused on AI to take place in the Global South and marks the continued rise of India’s role as an innovator within the AI community.
The summit will be about three topics: People, Planet, and Progress. These three categories aim to find ways to balance new technology and how it affects both world society and the environment. The discussions will focus on AI governance, inclusive innovation, and how AI can be applied to areas like health, education, manufacturing, and government.
Within this context, Mozilla’s open-source AI technology involvement in promoting is vital.
Mozilla Pushes For Open Source AI as Sovereignty Tool
Why Open Source Is Important
Leading up to the summit, Mozilla (the maker of Firefox and other free/open technology) is advocating for countries such as India to invest heavily in open-source AI.
Mozilla’s message is clear:
Open source AI is a tool for economic/digital freedom
In their opinion, countries shouldn’t just pay large global corporations to use their AI, but they should have the ability to create, control, and alter AI systems as they see fit. Mark Surman, Mozilla’s president, states that if open-source ecosystems are not built up, then nations will remain dependent on proprietary AI systems that are very expensive, too difficult to understand, and ultimately beyond the control of a nation.
The Problems With Proprietary AI Systems
Mozilla and many others are worried about the concentration of power amongst a small number of very large companies that produce very large artificial intelligence systems, which may create a huge imbalance in wealth distribution all around the globe. Corporations are basically looking out for themselves and producing systems that will be beneficial only to themselves, leaving many people…
The conversation at the India AI Impact Summit is expected to reflect this broader global discussion on AI regulation, ethical AI, and equitable access.
When these models are kept behind the corporate walls:
- Users and government entities generally have no clue how the systems work.
- There is little to no oversight and control over the outcomes, biases, and how well they align with different cultures.
- Having access to sophisticated AI will be a privilege reserved for an elite group of individuals with a lot of money and computing resources.
- Mozilla promotes that investing in open frameworks will increase competition, innovation, equitable access, and responsible use of technology, not only among large corporations but also among local developers and creators.
A Call Beyond the Scope of Mozilla
The content presented in BusinessWorld supports the overall premise of Mozilla’s call to action, encouraging governments, corporations, and organizations to make investments in open-source AI platforms and infrastructure, creating increased digital resiliency and sovereignty within India.
At the heart of this concept is the idea that by investing wisely in AI technology, there will be greater:
Stronger digital systems provide countries with more independence from external disruptions and less dependence on others.
Reduced cost to small businesses with reduced reliance on proprietary products.
Support for local ecosystem innovation, startup businesses, and all developers by providing collaborative tools and resources.
In addition to systems working effectively, digital resiliency also includes security of data, equitable access, including different languages, and adapting government policy to reflect realities in changed environments.
AI, culture, and creative collaboration
The concept of AI and its impact on culture and creativity will be covered at the summit. Mozilla has launched the ‘Origin of Thought’ initiative to unite artists, filmmakers, technologists, and cultural practitioners to understand the impact of AI on creative expression. This initiative represents an understanding that AI is not merely a machine but a sociocultural force that impacts how people create, work together, and innovate.
Mozilla and its partners want to ensure that AI continues to enhance human dignity, opportunity, and expression by including creators in AI development.
The completion of the AI Impact Summit indicates that the international discussion around building AI is progressing beyond the individual entities that design the AI to how to regulate AI to ensure that it is developed fairly and inclusively.
The call for transparency in AI by Mozilla, business analysts, and a global forum is being formulated with a view toward creating transparency in every aspect of developing, funding, marketing, distributing, and utilizing AI.
