India’s flagship AI Impact Summit began in New Delhi with lofty promises of shaping the future of artificial intelligence — yet the event was dominated as much by logistical turbulence as by technological vision.
The five-day conference, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been positioned as the first major international AI gathering hosted in the Global South. Delegations from over 100 countries are participating, with global tech leaders including Sam Altman of OpenAI and Sundar Pichai of Alphabet Inc. expected to attend.
However, for many delegates, the summit’s first impressions were shaped less by AI breakthroughs and more by long queues and confusion outside the venue.
Hours-Long Waits And Security Sweeps
By late morning, attendees at Bharat Mandapam reported overcrowding, bottlenecks at entry points, and inconsistent instructions from security personnel. Some delegates said they waited for hours to gain access, while others were temporarily evacuated from exhibition halls without clear explanations.
Several founders and exhibitors took to social media, describing abrupt security sweeps and last-minute hall closures that left them stranded outside. Participants said communication from organisers was limited, adding to the sense of disorder.
Exhibitor Complaints And Visitor Frustration
In addition to crowd control issues, some exhibitors alleged that products were stolen from their stalls amid the confusion. Others cited restricted access to food and drinking water during peak hours.
Further frustration arose when visitors discovered that certain food counters accepted only cash payments — a hurdle for international guests accustomed to digital transactions in a country that promotes itself as a leader in fintech adoption.
The disruptions prompted criticism over planning and crowd management, particularly given the summit’s scale and global visibility.
India’s much-anticipated AI summit 2026 was meant to showcase the future.
Instead, it exposed chaos. 🚨27 countries. Global CEOs. Top founders.
All arriving for a world-class tech event… only to walk into a logistical breakdown.• 3-hour entry queues: delegates left standing… pic.twitter.com/fZ1N1Zmc2a
— Karan Singh Arora (@thisisksa) February 17, 2026
🚨 Help desk left the chat in international ai summit event
Security stopped everyone.
Foreign delegates stuck in endless queues for hours.
No drinking water in line.Some attendees didn’t even have INR cash and guess what?
No proper UPI.
Debit/credit cards not accepted at… pic.twitter.com/iUmMKgpqvO— Pushpendra Singh (@pushpendrakum) February 17, 2026
High Ambitions For India’s AI Push
In his inaugural address, Modi described the summit as a demonstration of “India’s talent, innovation, and AI potential,” asserting that the country aims to build solutions “for the world, not just for India.”
Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the event would examine both the promise and the perils of artificial intelligence. Organisers had projected the summit as a collaborative platform for policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers to chart India’s AI roadmap. While the conference succeeded in drawing global attention, its opening-day setbacks have raised concerns about execution at large-scale tech gatherings.
