"What we see today is just beginning of AI's impact,": PM Modi at AI Impact Summit
Feb 19, 2026
New Delhi [India], February 19 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Artificial Intelligence marks a shift in human history, urging nations to balance innovation with responsibility.
Addressing the AI India Impact Summit at the Bharat Mandapam venue in the national capital, he drew parallels with earlier technological breakthroughs. "When signals were first transmitted wirelessly, no one imagined that the entire world would one day be connected in real time. Artificial Intelligence is such a transformation of human history. What we are seeing today, what we are predicting, is just the beginning of its impact," he said
The Prime Minister compared AI's rise to early human discoveries. "When sparks first emerged from stones, no one imagined that those sparks would become the foundation of civilisation. When speech was first transformed into script, no one knew that written knowledge would become the backbone of future systems," he said.
Highlighting the pace of change, the Prime Minister noted, "AI is making machines intelligent, but more than that, it is increasing human capabilities manyfold. There is only one difference: this time the speed is unprecedented and the scale is also unexpected." He added that earlier technologies took decades to influence societies, but today the shift from machine learning to learning machines is rapid and widespread.
"Earlier, the impact of technology used to take decades to be visible. Today, the journey from machine learning to learning machines is faster, deeper and wider than ever," PM Modi said.
PM Modi said countries must adopt a long-term approach. "We have to have a big vision and shoulder an equally big responsibility. Along with the present generation, we also have to worry about what form of AI we will hand over to the coming generations," he said.
He added that the debate should focus on present action. "The real question today is not what Artificial Intelligence can do in the future. The question is, what do we do with Artificial Intelligence in the present?" he said, citing nuclear power as an example of technology with both destructive and constructive outcomes.
