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It represents the first time a global governance framework has been authored from the heart of the Global South, prioritising development and equity over mere cautionary restraint
India is hosting the AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. Images/X
The global technological landscape faces a defining moment on Thursday as world leaders gather at Bharat Mandapam for the formal adoption of the Delhi Declaration. While previous international accords in Bletchley Park or Seoul focused heavily on the existential risks of frontier AI, the New Delhi pact is being hailed as the “Magna Carta of AI” for its shift in perspective. It represents the first time a global governance framework has been authored from the heart of the Global South, prioritising development and equity over mere cautionary restraint.
The ‘Seven Sutras’ of Governance
The declaration, set to be unveiled during the Prime Minister’s keynote address at 10.25 am, is built upon a “techno-legal” approach. Rather than imposing rigid, compliance-heavy laws that could stifle nascent industries, it introduces seven guiding principles, or Sutras, designed to be agile:
- Trust as the Foundation: Ensuring AI systems are reliable and secure.
- People First: Prioritising human agency and dignity in every algorithm.
- Innovation over Restraint: Favouring responsible growth over blanket bans.
- Fairness and Equity: Actively mitigating the linguistic and socio-economic biases of Western datasets.
- Accountability: Establishing clear liability for AI-driven outcomes.
- Understandable by Design: Mandating transparency so AI decisions are not “black boxes.”
- Safety and Sustainability: Balancing high-speed processing with environmental stewardship.
Ending ‘AI Extractivism’
A central pillar of the “Magna Carta” is the fight against “AI Extractivism”—the practice where data from developing nations is harvested to train models that those same nations must then buy back. The Delhi Declaration seeks to dismantle this lopsided dynamic. By integrating Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) with AI, the framework allows nations to maintain “Data Sovereignty”. This ensures that the wealth generated from local data remains within the country, fostering a domestic “Sovereign AI” ecosystem rather than creating a new form of technological dependency.
The Three Sutras: People, Planet, Progress
To move from abstract theory to measurable impact, the declaration organises global cooperation around three functional threads:
People: Focuses on “Population-Scale” solutions, such as the BharatGen model, which supports 22 Indian languages to ensure that AI serves the 90% of the world that does not speak English as a first language.
Planet: Introduces the concept of “Green AI”, advocating for energy-efficient hardware and the sharing of climate-modelling data to help the Global South mitigate environmental crises.
Progress: Aims to democratise resources. This includes the proposal for a global “Compute Bank” inspired by India’s model of offering high-end GPUs at a subsidised rate of Rs 65 per hour, effectively lowering the barrier to entry for startups everywhere.
A Plenary of Global Power
The significance of Thursday’s ceremony at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 is underscored by the presence of over 20 Heads of State and the world’s most influential tech CEOs, from Sam Altman to Sundar Pichai. As the “Family Photo” is taken in the morning, it represents more than just a diplomatic courtesy; it is an acknowledgement that the rules for the next century of human intelligence are no longer being written by a select few.
The Delhi Declaration ensures that AI is used for “Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhaye” (Welfare for all, happiness of all). By successfully weaving the priorities of emerging economies into global norms, India has ensured that February 19 will be remembered as the date the world chose a progressive, inclusive, and opportunity-driven future over a fractured digital divide.
February 19, 2026, 04:26 IST
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