Speech by H.E. Mr. Ajaneesh Kumar, Ambassador of India to Argentina, on the occasion of the AI-Impact Pre-Summit event in Escobar on December 11, 2025.

Buenos días! Namaskar,

Dear Mr.  Ariel Sujarchuk, representatives from Instituto de Innovación Digital,  CiudadanIA  and distinguished guests.

I express my gratitude to  Mr. Sujarchuk for organising this pre-summit event in Escobar, a city at the forefront of ethical and responsible AI regulation in Argentina. Escobar has also presented a structured AI-driven strategy under the Coalición de Ciudades por la Inteligencia Artificial, signalling its commitment to integrating AI into local public services. My friend Mr. Sujarchuk further exemplifies this commitment through his book “Mañana es Hoy,” which calls for Intelligent digital citizenry. Against this backdrop, let us reflect on how AI is transforming lives across all levels of society.

Today, AI is no longer limited to research labs or big corporations. It is reaching citizens at every level. From improving healthcare access in remote areas to helping farmers make informed crop decisions, AI is making daily life simpler, smarter, and more connected. It is revolutionising classrooms through personalised learning, making cities cleaner and safer, and enhancing public services through faster, data-driven governance. AI is no longer optional; it is an operational necessity that enables predictive policymaking, efficient planning, and inclusive development across sectors. Yet as we embrace these gains, we must also recognise that AI, by its very nature, is a double-edged sword.

On the other side lie profound risks such as algorithmic bias, ethical opacity, the concentration of computing power, socio-economic displacement, and vulnerabilities that can undermine public trust and national security. The duality of AI demands a calibrated balance between innovation and regulation: guardrails that preserve creativity while protecting citizens, institutions, and democratic processes.

Among the most urgent challenges is the accelerating use of AI to spread misinformation and disinformation. Synthetic text, hyper-realistic deepfakes, manipulated audio, and automated bot networks can now distort information ecosystems at a speed and scale never seen before. These technologies threaten electoral integrity, sow social polarisation, destabilise public order, and erode trust in institutions. Political manipulation has become more targeted, more persuasive, and more difficult to detect. Addressing this requires a multi-layered response, technical safeguards such as watermarking and content provenance systems, regulatory clarity on platform accountability, national digital forensics capabilities, public digital literacy programmes, and finally, cross-border cooperation to harmonise global detection and verification standards. No nation can withstand this challenge alone; interoperability of solutions and shared norms will be essential.

In response to these challenges, India has taken a leadership role in shaping an AI path for the Global South, one rooted in accessibility, affordability, human-centricity, and public purpose. Through the IndiaAI Mission and the success of Digital Public Infrastructure, India demonstrates how AI can strengthen governance while ensuring that benefits reach even the most marginalised communities. India's efforts include democratising access to computing power, building multilingual AI systems that preserve linguistic diversity, curating open-use datasets for sectors such as agriculture and health, and implementing large-scale skilling programmes across developing nations. This approach shifts AI from being a tool of geopolitical concentration toward a shared developmental resource that upholds sovereignty and expands opportunity.

Building on these efforts, India is preparing to host the forthcoming AI Impact Summit 2026, a truly international event scheduled in New Delhi on 16-20 February. This will be the fourth summit in the series, following successful gatherings in the United Kingdom, South Korea, and France.

India’s AI Impact Summit expects to bring together more than 100 countries, international organisations, eminent scientists and innovation leaders to reflect the emerging consensus: AI’s future must be inclusive, transparent and collaboratively governed.

The thematic priorities of the Summit, referred to as the seven ‘Chakras,’ underscore its core objectives, each group is co-chaired by two countries and chaired by India.. These groups include Human Capital, Inclusion, Safe & Trusted AI, Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency, Democratizing AI Resources, Science and AI for Economic Development and Social Good. These priorities frame key issues like AI safety, data governance, transparency, human-centred development, and accountability frameworks, strategically guiding the Summit’s events and deliberations. These groups are structured for inclusivity and focused discussion, with Argentina actively participating and providing valuable inputs to shape the global AI agenda.

The Summit is intended to produce clear, actionable recommendations that will inform long-term AI governance objectives. Rather than creating immediate binding regulations, the Summit will focus on shaping guiding principles, frameworks, and collaborative actions that support responsible AI development globally.

Flagship events at the Summit will include a leaders’ plenary, CEOs roundtables, youth innovation challenges, and high-impact research symposia. We expect tangible, scalable outcomes: whether in pandemic prediction, agricultural efficiency, climate monitoring, or digital skilling for underserved communities.

As the title of our Summit suggests, we aim to shift global discourse on AI from the 'Action' agenda of previous Summits to a heightened focus on 'Impact'—how AI is shaping and will continue to shape all aspects of our lives. 

In addition to policy focus, the AI Impact Summit will feature an experiential showcase of AI technologies. The Expo is designed as a dynamic space that will bring to life real-world AI applications, breakthrough technologies, and global innovations. More than an exhibition, it creates a platform to demonstrate AI's real-world impact—transforming industries and businesses and addressing global challenges. By convening innovators, enterprises, policymakers, and investors under one roof at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, across 50,000 sqm of exhibition space, the Expo positions India as a global stage for AI innovation. I encourage all exhibitors to submit your Expression of Interest today and secure your place at the forefront of innovation.

As AI reshapes geopolitics, labour markets, and economic structures, India envisions a world order that is human-centric, evidence-driven, inclusive, sustainable, and cooperative. The Global South, home to the majority of humanity, must be a co-author of this emerging AI order, not merely a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere. India stands ready to work with partners across Africa, Latin America, ASEAN, and the Pacific to build resilient AI ecosystems guided by equity, trust, and shared prosperity. This is the moment for developing nations to secure their rightful place in future-shaping technologies.

In this context, India calls for active and broad participation from governments, civil society, private innovators and academic institutions. Only collective action will bridge the AI divide and realise the full value of AI as a force for good. Indian commitment to driving inclusive and scalable AI adoption remains steadfast, and our doors remain open for partnership and co-creation.

Further, I would be happy to connect universities, research institutions, civil society and private innovators with the AI Ecosystem in India to facilitate meaningful exchanges of technology and information across the Global South.

As all of you know, India has established the India-Argentina Centre for Excellence in Information Technology in April 2023 at the University of Hurlingham in the province of Buenos Aires. The centre also collaborates with three other prominent National Universities: National University of Arturo Jauretche, National University of La Matanza, and University of Buenos Aires to expand its activities. The centre offers courses on various Information Technology topics, including Artificial Intelligence, and has trained more than 1,000 Argentine students. Thanks to this joint effort, tools and approaches specific to the Indian technological ecosystem were incorporated into local training, generating capabilities that are now expanding to other municipalities and strengthening the country's technological development.

In addition, the Government of India offers scholarships to specialists from around the world under the ITEC program. Over the years, ITEC has offered specialized courses in artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, digital governance, public innovation, smart cities, and sustainable development. Dozens of Argentine professionals have been trained at leading institutions in New Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, and Hyderabad. There, they learned firsthand how India designed its public digital infrastructure, how it integrated AI into essential services, and how it developed low-cost, high-impact models suited to the realities of the Global South. The impact is tangible: many of the officials who today promote digital management systems, data platforms, administrative automation, and electronic public services in Argentine provinces and municipalities have participated in ITEC. What they bring back from India is not just knowledge: it is proven models, real methodologies, and a pragmatic vision of how to scale technology projects efficiently and at low cost. I invite all Argentine specialists interested in these courses to register and take advantage of this opportunity.

With these remarks, I once again thank the Mayor of Escobar and other members of the organising team for hosting this beautiful event and bringing Argentina’s AI ecosystem together.

Muchas Gracias, Dhanyavaad