United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has hailed India as the "right place" to host a major global AI summit, subtly criticizing the dominance of superpowers in artificial intelligence development. Speaking ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Guterres emphasized that AI must benefit the entire world, not just developed nations or two superpowers, in an apparent reference to the United States and China.
The India AI Impact Summit is set to take place from February 16-20 at Bharat Mandapam, Sushama Swaraj Bhawan, and Ambedkar Centre in New Delhi. The event will draw world leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, alongside technology executives including Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Guterres, who plans to attend the summit in person, congratulated India for organizing the gathering during an interview with PTI at UN Headquarters.
"I strongly congratulate India for organising this Summit. It's absolutely essential that AI develops itself to the benefit of everybody, everywhere and that countries in the Global South are part of the benefits of AI," Guterres said. He stressed the need for inclusive AI advancement, warning against it becoming a privilege reserved for the most developed countries.
Guterres asserted, "it would be totally unacceptable that AI would be just a privilege of the most developed countries or a division only between two superpowers." He further remarked, "It is absolutely essential that AI becomes a universal instrument for the benefit of humankind," underscoring the summit's role in discussing AI's potential and risks on a global scale.
Praising India's growing influence, Guterres described the country as "a very successful emerging economy that is having a bigger and bigger role in not only the global economy but in its influence in global affairs." He positioned India as ideal for hosting the summit to ensure AI discussions lead to equitable outcomes for the whole world, rather than a select few.
The UN chief advocated for "true multipolarity" in global affairs, cautioning against "total hegemony by only one power or a system in which the world is divided between two superpowers." Guterres called for emerging economies like India to play a "higher and higher" role, fostering stronger networks of trade, technological, and international cooperation.
