'If anybody has faced any problems...': Ashwini Vaishnaw apologises for chaos at India AI Summit Day 1
The summit opened on Monday and attracted thousands of startup founders, tech companies and international delegates.
- Feb 17, 2026,
- Updated Feb 17, 2026 3:15 PM IST
After complaints of overcrowding and long queues on the opening day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday apologised to attendees who faced inconvenience, saying the response to the event had been overwhelming.
More than 70,000 people attended the summit on Tuesday, he said, calling the response “phenomenal”.
“This is the biggest AI Summit in the world. The response was phenomenal. The energy is palpable. We can see the organisation is very smooth now. If anybody has faced any problems yesterday, we apologise for that,” Vaishnaw said at a press conference at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi, where the event is being held.
He said the government is open to feedback and is working to improve arrangements.
“Whatever feedback you have, please share with us. We are open-minded. We will make efforts to make the experience smoother and enjoyable for all of you. We have a war room which has been operating since yesterday. My entire team is working hard day and night for this summit,” he said.
Crowd, delays mark Day 1
The summit opened on Monday and attracted thousands of startup founders, tech companies and international delegates. However, the heavy crowd led to long queues, delays at entry gates and confusion over security checks.
Some exhibitors said they were asked to vacate their stalls during security sweeps and were not told clearly when they could return. Others complained about unclear instructions and repeated checks.
Organisers said steps were taken during the day to reduce congestion and improve crowd management. They added that arrangements would be smoother over the remaining days of the summit, which runs till February 20.
Wearables went missing
Dhananjay Yadav, co-founder and CEO of Neo Sapien, said he had brought his startup’s AI wearable devices to showcase at the summit. He said there was a sudden evacuation ahead of security checks for the inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The opening day turned into a pain,” Yadav said, alleging that wearables left inside the stall went missing during the clearance.
“We paid for flights, accommodation, logistics and even the booth, only to see our devices disappear inside a high-security zone,” he wrote, calling the episode “extremely disappointing”.
Communication and connectivity issues raised
Punit Jain, founder of Reskill, said exhibitors and delegates waited outside halls for hours without clear communication.
“If access was limited to select guests, it should have been communicated upfront. This is not how we build India’s AI future,” he said.
Entrepreneur Priyanshu Ratnakar also pointed to long queues, exhibitors being locked out of stalls, weak Wi-Fi and mobile networks, and repeated registration glitches.
“VIPs walked past massive queues while founders stood outside. It showed a lack of respect for builders,” he said.
Despite the problems on Day 1, organisers have positioned the summit as a major global AI platform and said they expect smoother operations in the coming days, especially with the participation of global technology companies and international leaders.
After complaints of overcrowding and long queues on the opening day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday apologised to attendees who faced inconvenience, saying the response to the event had been overwhelming.
More than 70,000 people attended the summit on Tuesday, he said, calling the response “phenomenal”.
“This is the biggest AI Summit in the world. The response was phenomenal. The energy is palpable. We can see the organisation is very smooth now. If anybody has faced any problems yesterday, we apologise for that,” Vaishnaw said at a press conference at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi, where the event is being held.
He said the government is open to feedback and is working to improve arrangements.
“Whatever feedback you have, please share with us. We are open-minded. We will make efforts to make the experience smoother and enjoyable for all of you. We have a war room which has been operating since yesterday. My entire team is working hard day and night for this summit,” he said.
Crowd, delays mark Day 1
The summit opened on Monday and attracted thousands of startup founders, tech companies and international delegates. However, the heavy crowd led to long queues, delays at entry gates and confusion over security checks.
Some exhibitors said they were asked to vacate their stalls during security sweeps and were not told clearly when they could return. Others complained about unclear instructions and repeated checks.
Organisers said steps were taken during the day to reduce congestion and improve crowd management. They added that arrangements would be smoother over the remaining days of the summit, which runs till February 20.
Wearables went missing
Dhananjay Yadav, co-founder and CEO of Neo Sapien, said he had brought his startup’s AI wearable devices to showcase at the summit. He said there was a sudden evacuation ahead of security checks for the inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The opening day turned into a pain,” Yadav said, alleging that wearables left inside the stall went missing during the clearance.
“We paid for flights, accommodation, logistics and even the booth, only to see our devices disappear inside a high-security zone,” he wrote, calling the episode “extremely disappointing”.
Communication and connectivity issues raised
Punit Jain, founder of Reskill, said exhibitors and delegates waited outside halls for hours without clear communication.
“If access was limited to select guests, it should have been communicated upfront. This is not how we build India’s AI future,” he said.
Entrepreneur Priyanshu Ratnakar also pointed to long queues, exhibitors being locked out of stalls, weak Wi-Fi and mobile networks, and repeated registration glitches.
“VIPs walked past massive queues while founders stood outside. It showed a lack of respect for builders,” he said.
Despite the problems on Day 1, organisers have positioned the summit as a major global AI platform and said they expect smoother operations in the coming days, especially with the participation of global technology companies and international leaders.