AD correspondent
New Delhi, 17 February
AI Safety Connect (AISC) convened international experts, policymakers, and researchers to discuss strengthening global coordination for frontier AI safety as part of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi on Tuesday. Hosted by Eugene Yiga, Communication Lead of AI Safety Connect, the strategic briefing set the tone for Summit week, laying out AI Safety Connect’s roadmap for advancing global coordination on frontier AI safety and underscoring India’s growing influence in shaping a more inclusive, accountable, and internationally aligned approach to AI governance.
Framed under the headline “First Global South AI Summit: India Demands Accountability from Frontier Labs Racing to AGI,” the event outlined five interconnected priorities: India’s distinctive approach to AI governance; the most pressing global risks from frontier AI; the role of middle powers in AI coordination; practical mechanisms for AI safety verification and evaluation; and international coordination models already underway. Speaking at the press conference, Nicolas Miailhe, Co-Founder of AI Safety Connect, emphasised India’s dual AI responsibility: “India faces a dual AI challenge. On one hand, we are already seeing real-world harms from rapidly deployed AI systems. On the other hand, the global race toward increasingly powerful AI systems is accelerating. India cannot afford to address one without engaging the other.”
Speakers emphasised that India faces a dual responsibility: managing present-day harms from rapidly deployed AI systems while also engaging with frontier risks emerging from the global race toward increasingly advanced AI systems. As one of the world’s largest digital societies and a rising technology power, India’s governance choices could significantly influence how global AI norms evolve, particularly as Global South voices seek a more meaningful role in shaping international frameworks.
