New Delhi [India], February 19 (ANI): The Founding Head of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) on Thursday praised India's leadership in hosting the AI Impact Summit 2026 and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech as visionary and fantastic.

Speaking to ANI at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the UNICRI official highlighted India's growing role in shaping global discourse on artificial intelligence and its applications.

'AI Summit hosted by India and India's leadership is admirable. The Prime Minister gave a visionary and fantastic speech,' the official said.

Emphasizing the significance of the summit being held in India, he said it marks a historic moment for the Global South.

'It's really great that the first Global South AI summit is hosted in India. I think this is going to jumpstart a lot of progress for this region, for this country and beyond this world,' he said.

The UNICRI official added that the summit is expected to create numerous opportunities across multiple sectors.

'Going to create a lot of opportunities for business, for government and for others,' he said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his keynote address at the AI Impact Summit 2026 spoke about AI and its implications highlighting India's vision of ensuring the democratization of this technology to all its citizens.

'India is the centre of the world's largest tech pool. It is a matter of pride for the Global South that the AI summit is being organised in India. When signals were first transmitted wirelessly, no one imagined that the entire world would one day be connected in real time. Artificial Intelligence is such a transformation of human history. What we are seeing today, what we are predicting, is just the beginning of its impact,' he said.

The India AI Impact Summit has brought together government policymakers, industry AI experts, academicians, technology innovators and civil society from across the world at New Delhi to advance global discussions on artificial intelligence.

The India AI Impact Summit, the first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South, reflects on the transformative potential of, AI aligning with the national vision of 'Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya' (welfare for all, happiness for all) and global principle of AI for Humanity. This summit is part of an evolving international process aimed at strengthening global cooperation on the governance, safety, and societal impact of AI. (ANI)