The India AI Impact Summit 2026, held from 16 February at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marked the first international AI summit hosted in the Global South. The event positioned India as a key player in global AI discourse, emphasizing AI-led growth anchored in People, Progress, and Planet. With startups driving innovation and scalable solutions, the summit showcased India’s commitment to responsible, indigenous AI capabilities while promoting inclusive and sustainable development.
A central feature of the summit was the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) Pavilion, which highlighted India’s vibrant AI startup ecosystem in media, entertainment, gaming, and creative technologies. The WAVES Creators Corner within the pavilion provided a dynamic platform for live demonstrations, masterclasses, fireside chats, and panels, enabling direct interaction between founders, policymakers, investors, creators, and international stakeholders.
The pavilion focused on the AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) and Media Tech sectors, where 51 startups presented market-ready AI-powered solutions spanning content creation, immersive experiences, multilingual tools, adaptive gameplay, and digital storytelling. This convergence underlines the government’s recognition of the creative economy as a strategic driver of growth, employment, and innovation.
The Union Budget 2026–27 reinforced this vision by emphasizing the creative (Orange) economy, particularly the AVGC sector, aligned with digital and AI-led development. It supports the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai, to establish AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges nationwide, building a skilled talent pipeline. With nearly 2 million professionals expected to be needed in the sector by 2030, the creative economy is poised to become a major employment engine for India’s digital generation.
The MIB Pavilion highlighted India’s media and entertainment industry, which is projected to grow from ₹2.5 trillion in 2024 to ₹3.067 trillion by 2027, with digital media contributing nearly a third of revenues. Startups demonstrated AI-assisted filmmaking, virtual production, automated editing, multilingual dubbing, AI avatars, and digital storytelling tools—showcasing how AI can optimize workflows, expand multilingual reach, and enhance scalability.
In the gaming and immersive technologies space, India’s online gaming market, which generated ₹232 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach ₹316 billion by 2027, was represented through AI-powered solutions for real-time commentary, adaptive gameplay engines, immersive environments, and interactive sports technologies. Startups illustrated the transition from gaming consumption to AI-native game development and immersive platform creation, reflecting India’s growing leadership in interactive entertainment.
The broader AVGC-XR ecosystem was also spotlighted, featuring animation, visual effects, comics, and extended reality. India’s globally integrated production base supports international films, streaming platforms, advertising campaigns, and immersive experiences. The MIB Pavilion showcased AI applications for podcasts, virtual studios, immersive theatre, and creator tools, reinforcing AI’s role as both an economic and employment multiplier.
Key highlights included the WAVES Creators Corner, AI-powered showcases by 51 startups, and the MIB–Adobe collaboration, featuring Kathāvatār, a curated series of five Made-in-India AI short films. Sessions included Shekhar Kapur’s masterclass on AI-powered storytelling, demonstrations of zero-touch autonomous newsrooms, multilingual AI dubbing, AI avatars, AI podcast studios, and immersive 270-degree AI theatres. Leading global tech partners like AWS, Google, Sony Research India, and PurpleTalk participated in knowledge exchange and policy dialogues.
In the gaming segment, startups demonstrated transformative AI applications: Yesgnome’s Sketly AI for creative production, Metasports (Hitwicket) for real-time sports commentary, Koyozo for console-grade mobile gaming, Youth Buzz (Ourcadium) with live human vs AI gameplay, and Evivve’s Enterprise Cognitive AI Readiness Tool. A panel on “The New Gold Rush: Investing in India’s AI-Powered Gaming Future” explored investment trends, AI-enabled production models, and skill-building initiatives to accelerate India’s global presence in AI gaming.
The summit also created avenues for international collaboration, with over 300 curated pavilions, 600+ startups, and delegations from 13 countries. Engagements with leading technology companies and research institutions provided exposure to global production practices, regulatory frameworks, and opportunities for co-creation, investment, and market expansion.
The MIB Pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 exemplifies India’s translation of its AI vision into tangible, market-ready outcomes led by startups, creators, and innovators. By combining startup showcases, creative experimentation, policy dialogue, and global exposure, the pavilion reinforced India’s approach to responsible, inclusive, and scalable AI growth, reflecting the nation’s ambition to strengthen its creative economy and emerge as a leading contributor to the global AI ecosystem from the Global South.
Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla
