India AI Impact Summit 2026: India prioritising AI for healthcare, agriculture and climate, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

India AI Impact Summit 2026 | Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw outlined a vision for a "hopeful" future on the third day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. He acknowledged how the younger generation is embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) with excitement and optimism.

The Union minister also discussed how India is focusing on "AI at the Edge" and its practical, high-impact use cases. He also talked about how the government is prioritising the deployment of AI to solve "population-scale problems" that have a direct impact on the quality of life for millions.

The three core pillars of India's AI strategy highlighted by the Minister were healthcare, agriculture and climate change. Vaishnaw said, “We in India are very focussed on AI in the edge, AI for use cases, AI for solving real world problems, AI for improving the productivity in the enterprises. 
AI for population scale problems like healthcare, like agriculture, like climate change. These are the things that we are focused on here in India. And this AI summit brings that opportunity.”

Vaishnav also talked about his interaction with India's youth and how they have reshaped his outlook. He said, “I was so surprised at the optimism that most of the young people expressed towards this opportunity which is coming for them. Initially, I was a bit apprehensive, but looking at their optimism, I'm feeling really hopeful for a totally new future for our country and for the world.”

In addition, he turned his attention to AI safety, making it clear that the technology must remain under human watch. 

"As we discuss various technical matters, I will request the topmost brains who are present here to please bring some solid concrete suggestions on how to make AI safe," Vaishnaw stated.