While Western headlines remain transfixed by Silicon Valley’s latest iterations, a more profound tectonic shift is accelerating in New Delhi. India is no longer merely a consumer of global technology; it is aggressively architecting “Sovereign AI”—a domestic brain powered by 38,000 GPUs and vast local datasets. For Sri Lanka, the upcoming India AI Impact Summit represents a critical junction. To ignore this regional tech surge is to let our neighbour unilaterally decide the digital future of the Global South.
While we’ve been busy watching what Sam Altman does with ChatGPT in San Francisco, a far more important shift is happening just a short flight away in New Delhi. Our neighbour, India, is not just joining the global AI race; it is actively shaping the path forward for countries like ours in the Global South.
From February 18 to 20, 2026, India will host the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam. For Sri Lankan startup founders, journalists, students, policymakers, or anyone interested in our country’s digital future or AI, this is a key event worth paying attention to.
This is not just another tech conference with the usual talks and buzzwords. It shows that India is seriously positioning itself as a leader in AI for the Global South, backed by major investments, strong infrastructure, and coordinated policy planning.
Tangible Opportunities for Sri Lanka
The summit’s UDAAN Global AI Pitch Fest offers top winners awards of up to LKR 85 million, a clear incentive for Sri Lankan entrepreneurs. What sets this initiative apart is its focus: India is seeking AI solutions developed by and for the Global South, addressing real challenges in resource-constrained environments. Solutions that help tea smallholders manage crop disease, improve rural education, strengthen public health, or fix supply-chain gaps are exactly what the summit looks for.
The event also features dedicated tracks:
- AI by HER – for women-led initiatives
- YUVAi – for students aged 13–21
- AI for ALL – for scalable social-impact solutions
India is Building “Sovereign AI” (And We Can Piggyback)
Here is the strategic reality: India has decided it won’t depend on the West for intelligence. They are building their own “brain.”
Under the IndiaAI Mission, they aren’t just talking; they are building the railroads:
- Cheap Power: They have secured 38,000 GPUs (the expensive chips that run AI) and are subsidizing them for local startups.
- Local Data: They are building AIKosh, a massive database of Indian languages.
The relevance for Sri Lanka is profound. Artificial intelligence models trained extensively on languages such as Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam are inherently better positioned to adapt to Sinhala than those developed exclusively with English or European datasets. As India innovates to provide language access for its 1.4 billion citizens, Sri Lanka stands to gain significantly through its geographical, technical, cultural, and economic proximity.
Beyond Concepts: India’s Real-World Applications
What genuinely distinguishes the India–AI Impact Summit is its foundational emphasis on concrete, real-world deployments rather than theoretical presentations. Collaborating with esteemed international bodies such as the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, the International Energy Agency, and UN Women, IndiaAI is poised to unveil a series of meticulously researched casebooks during the summit.
These publications will document proven AI solutions already operational across vital sectors including healthcare, education, agriculture, energy, and gender equality. Crucially, many of these solutions operate successfully in conditions strikingly similar to Sri Lanka’s unique socio-economic landscape.
Consider the agricultural sector, for example, where India is actively compiling verified AI tools that demonstrate measurable benefits for farmers, developed in partnership with state governments and the World Bank. For a nation like Sri Lanka grappling with climate stress, declining crop yields, and escalating rural debt this offers more than theoretical understanding; it presents a practical playbook for tangible action.
A Crucial Gap: Sri Lanka’s Fragmented AI Landscape
India is demonstrating a level of policy coordination that Sri Lanka has yet to achieve. Its national mission aligns research, regulation, funding, and implementation, creating a cohesive ecosystem.
By contrast, Sri Lanka’s digital landscape is fragmented, with scattered pilot projects and no central authority to drive a unified strategy. Watching India’s structured approach could prove more valuable in the long run than any immediate financial reward.
The summit’s foundational framework is built upon the interconnected principles of People, Planet, and Progress. The overarching message is unequivocal, emphasizing that technology’s real value lies in solving practical problems, detecting diseases in areas with few doctors, improving learning outcomes, and reducing societal biases.
The Global South’s New Confidence
For generations, the global technological landscape, including its ethical and operational guidelines, has largely been shaped in established hubs such as Washington, Brussels, and Silicon Valley. However, India is now powerfully asserting itself as a significant standard-setter for emerging economies, moving beyond the role of a mere passive adopter.
This shift holds profound implications for Sri Lanka. Should India successfully define ethical and inclusive AI frameworks specifically tailored for the Global South, Sri Lanka faces a critical decision: to actively contribute to these evolving standards and frameworks, or to passively accept the directives and innovations emerging from its immediate neighbour.
So this is the exact conversation Sri Lanka needs to be part of. We share the same weather, the same crop diseases, and the same economic struggles. If we don’t show up to New Delhi in 2026, we are letting our neighbour decide the future of technology for us.
Don’t Get Left Behind: Why Sri Lanka Must Engage
Beyond the prize money, the summit offers unmatched access to top investors, influential policymakers, strong research networks, and a clear vision for using latest technology to meet real developmental needs. The once-dormant giant next door is now awake and moving fast.
This is a rare chance to see how a government shapes tech policy, connect with regional investors, and potentially secure transformative funding. The question for Sri Lanka is simple: will we run alongside India and seize this opportunity, or watch from the sidelines as India leads with its IndiaAI initiative?
For details and event registration, visit this website: impact.indiaai.gov.in or scan the QR code.
