The Galgotias robot dog fiasco may have briefly cast a shadow over the India AI Impact Summit, but it did little to dampen the larger momentum building on the ground. As the noise faded, a wave of homegrown innovation quickly reclaimed the spotlight, with Indian startups, research labs and academic institutions drawing packed audiences to their pavilions.
From indigenous language AI models and classroom-ready learning platforms to cutting-edge robotics and drone technologies, these homegrown solutions not only demonstrated real-world impact but also emerged as some of the biggest crowd pullers at the summit — underscoring how India’s AI story is being shaped as much by grassroots ingenuity as by global headlines.
Among the standout showcases was IIT Kanpur, which presented its AI-powered education platform SATHEE, designed to provide personalised tutoring, multilingual support and affordable preparation tools for competitive exams. Homegrown startup Sarvam attracted heavy footfall with demonstrations of its large language models built specifically for Indian languages and contexts, highlighting the push for culturally and linguistically relevant AI. Lovely Professional University impressed visitors with AI-enabled drones and autonomous systems tailored for disaster response and agriculture, while edtech innovator Stempedia showcased hands-on robotics and coding kits aimed at school students.
At the summit, IIT Kanpur highlighted SATHEE as a practical example of AI addressing India’s education gap. The platform demonstrated AI-driven doubt resolution, adaptive mock tests and multilingual explanations tailored for competitive exams such as JEE and NEET. Live walkthroughs showed how students from smaller towns could access structured guidance comparable to high-end coaching centres.
SATHEE developed with support from@EduMinOfIndiafeatured in prestigious “Real-World Impact of AI in Education" [email protected] highlights its role as large-scale, AI-driven platform that improves access to quality education, particularly in rural regions.pic.twitter.com/ENtgOIwqN6— IIT Kanpur (@IITKanpur)February 18, 2026
The pavilion saw steady student and educator engagement, with many visitors keen on understanding how the tool could be scaled for government schools and rural learners. The strong response underscored growing interest in AI solutions that deliver measurable social impact rather than just technological novelty.
Sarvam emerged as one of the busiest booths at the expo, drawing crowds with real-time demonstrations of its large language models trained specifically on Indian languages and contexts. Visitors tested the system’s ability to switch seamlessly between languages, generate regionally nuanced responses and assist with translation and content creation.
Developers and policymakers alike showed interest in its potential applications in governance, customer service and digital inclusion. The sustained footfall reflected a broader appetite for AI that understands India’s linguistic diversity, positioning Sarvam as a key player in the country’s push for sovereign AI capabilities.
Sarvam AI provides the momentum needed to compete globally while building for Indian diversity.It advances India’s full-stack AI journey from foundational models to real-world deployments. The 105B and 30B parameter model launches signal growing depth in India’s AI ecosystem.…pic.twitter.com/cFCZxpNYQt
— Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87)February 20, 2026
Source: Tech News in news18.com, Tech Latest News, Tech News
