PM Modi meets global leaders, Sundar Pichai at India AI Impact Summit 2026

Prime Minister PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a series of highlevel meetings with global leaders and industry heads on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi The discussions focused on strengthening Indiarsquos leadership in artificial intelligence and deepening international partnershipsThe summit is being held at Bharat Mandapam from February 16 to 20PM Modi meets Google CEO Sundar PichaiDuring the summit PM Modi met Sundar Pichai the CEO of Google to discuss Indiarsquos growing AI ecosystem Sharing details of his meeting on social media platform X PM Modi said ldquoIt was a delight to meet Mr Sundar Pichai on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in Delhi Talked about the work India is doing in AI and how Google can work with our talented students and professionals in this fieldrdquoThe meeting focused on collaboration in artificial intelligence AI and opportunities for Indian talentIndiaFinland aim to double trade says PM ModiPM Modi also held extensive discussions with his counterpart from Finland Petteri Orpo A key topic was the IndiandashEU Free Trade Agreement FTAldquoThanked him for his personal support to the IndiaEU FTA which ushers in a golden era in IndiaEurope relations India and Finland aim to double traderdquo PM Modi posted on XThe two leaders also discussed cooperation in emerging sectors such as 6G innovation clean energy biofuels and the circular economy2026 to be observed as IndiaSpain Year of Culture Tourism and AIPM Modi later met Spanish President Pedro Saacutenchez to explore ways to expand bilateral cooperationldquoHad a productive meeting with President Pedro Sanchez in Delhi Discussed ways to boost the IndiaSpain friendship especially in areas such as defence security technology and morerdquo he saidPM Modi also announced that 2026 will be observed as the IndiaSpain Year of Culture Tourism and AI ldquoThis will deepen peopletopeople linkagesrdquo he noted welcoming a large delegation of universities from SpainPM Modi added that the EUIndia FTA would create new economic opportunities for both countriesIndias IT sector a key driver of economic growth says PM ModiThe India AI Impact Summit 2026 is the first major global AI summit hosted in the Global South It has brought together representatives from over 110 countries and 30 international organisations including heads of state ministers policymakers industry experts and academicsThe summit is guided by three core principles mdash People Planet and Progress mdash and promotes humancentric and sustainable AI development It aligns with Indiarsquos vision of ldquoSarvajana Hitaya Sarvajana Sukhaya welfare for all happiness for all and the broader goal of AI for HumanityIn a special interview with ANI PM Modi spoke about AIrsquos growing impact on Indiarsquos IT sector ldquoIndias IT sector has been the backbone of our services exports and a key driver of economic growthrdquo he said ldquoAI presents both a tremendous opportunity and a challengerdquoHe added that projections show Indiarsquos IT sector could reach USD 400 billion by 2030 driven by AIenabled outsourcing and automation Highlighting the governmentrsquos approach he emphasised preparing the workforce for the future ensuring that innovation leads to inclusive and sustainable growth Through these engagements at the summit India has underlined its ambition to play a leading role in shaping the global future of artificial intelligenceWith ANI inputs