By Anil Kumar Jain
President, Digital Communications India Forum (DCIF)
Published: 21 February 2026
Harnessing Responsible AI for the Masses: Opportunities and Challenges After the Landmark India AI Impact Summit 2026
The curtains have just come down on the India AI Impact Summit 2026 (16–20 February, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi), and the world is still buzzing. Hosted by India — the first Global South nation to lead a major international AI gathering — the Summit marked a decisive shift from high-level dialogue to tangible, people-centric impact. With over 70 countries (expected to cross 80) endorsing the Delhi Declaration, record investment commitments exceeding $250 billion, and half a million visitors, the message is clear: AI must no longer remain the privilege of a few nations or corporations. It must become a responsible force for inclusive growth that benefits the masses and accelerates national development worldwide.
As the Digital Communications India Forum (DCIF) — a non-partisan, technology-driven gorum dedicated to “Connecting India through Digital Communications” — we see this moment as a historic inflection point. Our mission has always been to promote nationwide awareness of digital technologies and offer policy inputs rooted in ground realities. The Summit’s emphasis on People, Planet, and Progress aligns perfectly with DCIF’s vision. In this blog, we explore the immense possibilities of responsible AI as a growth agent for countries, while candidly examining the challenges that lie ahead.
AI as a Growth Agent: Leapfrogging for Developing Nations
For emerging economies, AI is not just another technology — it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to leapfrog traditional development pathways. The Delhi Declaration rightly underscores that “AI’s promise is best realised only when its benefits are shared by humanity.” India’s own success story with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) — Aadhaar, UPI, and DEPA — demonstrates how foundational digital layers, when infused with AI, can deliver hyper-personalised services at population scale.
Key possibilities include:
• Agriculture and Rural Economy: AI-powered predictive analytics, satellite imagery, and vernacular chatbots can help small farmers optimise yields, access markets, and secure credit — potentially adding billions to GDP while reducing distress migration.
• Healthcare and Education: Low-cost, edge-AI diagnostic tools and personalised learning platforms (leveraging BHASHINI-like language models) can reach the last mile in 22 official languages and hundreds of dialects.
• Governance and Public Services: AI can supercharge grievance redressal, predictive policing, and disaster management, making governments more responsive and transparent.
• Industry and Services: From smart manufacturing to AI-native fintech and content creation, new high-value jobs will emerge — especially in Tier-2/3 cities where India’s demographic dividend is strongest.
Countries across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia are already looking to India’s model. The Summit’s success in positioning DPI + AI as a global public good opens doors for South-South collaboration on affordable compute, open datasets, and shared governance frameworks.
Responsible AI: Making Technology Work for the Many, Not the Few
Responsibility is not an afterthought — it is the foundation. The Summit rightly moved the global conversation from “AI safety” (largely a developed-world concern) to AI impact and inclusion. For DCIF, responsible AI means:
• Ethical and Bias-Free Systems: Training models on diverse Indian datasets to avoid cultural or gender biases.
• Energy-Efficient and Green AI: Given India’s climate commitments, we must prioritise lightweight models and renewable-powered data centres.
• Privacy-First Design: Building on India’s DEPA framework to ensure citizens retain control over their data even as AI delivers personalised services.
• Accessibility for Masses: Voice-first, low-bandwidth, multilingual interfaces that work on basic smartphones — not just high-end devices.
When done right, responsible AI becomes the ultimate equaliser, empowering women SHGs, differently-abled citizens, and rural youth alike.
The Roadblocks: Challenges That Demand Collective Action
Enthusiasm must be tempered with realism. Several formidable challenges remain:
- Infrastructure Gaps
High-quality AI demands massive compute, reliable 5G/6G connectivity, and edge infrastructure. While India is scaling data centres rapidly, rural broadband and last-mile power remain pain points. DCIF has long advocated for spectrum policies that enable affordable, ubiquitous connectivity — this becomes even more critical in the AI era. - Digital and Skills Divide
Millions still lack basic digital literacy. Without massive skilling initiatives (especially in AI ethics, prompt engineering, and data annotation), the benefits will accrue only to urban elites. - Regulatory and Geopolitical Complexities
The Delhi Declaration is non-binding and aspirational. Translating it into enforceable national frameworks while navigating US–China tech rivalry, data localisation debates, and export controls on advanced chips will test diplomatic and policy agility. - Societal Risks
Job displacement in routine cognitive tasks, deepfake-driven misinformation, and concentration of AI power in a handful of global players are real concerns. Responsible AI demands proactive governance, not reactive regulation. - Environmental Sustainability
Training a single large model can consume electricity equivalent to hundreds of households for a year. Scaling AI responsibly requires green computing mandates and circular data-centre models.
DCIF’s Commitment: From Awareness to Action
As a forum that has recently organised webinars on “AI – Transforming Our Day-to-Day Life and Our Future” delivered by Dr Ajay Data, highlighted regenerative AI in our technology focus areas, DCIF is ready to play its part. We will:
• Organise stakeholder consultations and white papers on “AI-Ready Digital Communications Infrastructure”.
• Advocate for policy measures that accelerate rural fibre, affordable compute access, and AI skilling at scale.
• Foster public-private-academia partnerships to develop India-centric responsible AI solutions.
• Amplify voices from Tier-2/3 India so that the next global AI agenda truly reflects the aspirations of the Global South.
A Call to Action
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 has lit the torch. Now it is for all of us — governments, industry, civil society, and forums like DCIF — to carry it forward. Responsible AI for the masses is not a utopian dream; it is an achievable reality if we act with urgency, equity, and foresight.
We invite DCIF members, industry leaders, policymakers, and young innovators to join us in this journey. Share your thoughts, case studies, or policy ideas in the comments or reach out to us at info@dcif.org.in. Together, let us ensure that AI does not divide the world further — but truly becomes a growth agent that lifts every nation and every citizen.
Digital Communications India Forum (DCIF)
Connecting India through Responsible Digital Technologies
Published: 21 February 2026
Let the Delhi Declaration not remain a document — let it become the blueprint for an AI-powered, inclusive tomorrow. The world is watching. India is leading. The time to act is now.