MeitY Secretary calls for measurable outcomes as AI Mission focuses on real-world public impact

“We are providing compute, models, and data for one reason only — to build applications with real impact,” Krishnan said.

The second day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 opened with a high-impact session examining the dual imperatives of building people-centric artificial intelligence while strengthening India’s sovereign technological capability.

The session, titled “From Algorithms to Outcomes: Building AI that Works for People,” focused on ensuring that AI systems move beyond experimentation and hype to deliver measurable improvements in governance, productivity, and citizen welfare.

Discussions centred on how compute infrastructure, foundational models, and high-quality data must ultimately translate into deployable applications that strengthen public service delivery and generate tangible benefits for citizens across sectors.

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AI Mission Designed for Real-World Challenges: MeitY Secretary

Addressing the session, S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said that the India AI Mission is structured to address diverse societal needs through impactful and scalable solutions.

“We are providing compute, models, and data for one reason only — to build applications with real impact,” Krishnan said.

He stressed that the success of AI will depend entirely on whether it improves lives beyond the hype.

“Whether AI succeeds beyond the hype depends entirely on whether it delivers solutions that improve lives. Governments will never have enough teachers, doctors, or judges, but if AI can enhance productivity, service quality can improve dramatically,” he noted.

Krishnan highlighted the vibrant ecosystem at the Summit expo, where more than 600 startups and companies are showcasing AI-driven innovations across healthcare, agriculture, education, manufacturing, and governance.

“The challenge is to choose what works, scale it responsibly, protect privacy, and ensure public money creates measurable outcomes,” he added.

He urged participants to witness firsthand the sectors where AI is already being applied to deliver citizen-facing impact.

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Evidence Must Drive AI Deployment, Says J-PAL’s Iqbal Dhaliwal

Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal, Global Executive Director of J-PAL, underscored the importance of rigorous evaluation and field-based evidence before scaling AI interventions.

“If you’ve spent enough time in development, you’ve seen many silver bullets come and go,” he cautioned.

“A technology can look incredibly promising in theory or even in a lab setting, but fail once it meets the realities of the field. That’s why evidence matters so much.”

Dhaliwal stressed the need to evaluate not just whether AI works, but for whom, under what conditions, and with what outcomes.

“Without rigorous evaluation, we risk mistaking excitement for impact,” he said.

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Early Impact Emerging, But Adoption Requires System Change: Michael Kremer

Michael Kremer, University Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago and J-PAL affiliate, pointed to early evidence of AI-driven gains in public services, including traffic enforcement, automated licensing systems, health, and education.

“We’re seeing early evidence of impact in areas like traffic enforcement, automated driver’s licence testing, health, and education,” he said.

He cited personalised adaptive learning models that have shown significant results:

“Personalised adaptive learning doubled the pace of student learning with just one hour a week.”

However, Kremer emphasized that technology alone cannot transform public systems.

“Improving government services is not always a market with strong private incentives, so philanthropy and government play a key role,” he said.

He added that adoption within public institutions is complex, requiring procurement reform, inter-state learning, and strong evaluation frameworks.

“AI has tremendous potential, but realizing it requires evidence, system-level change, and careful implementation,” Kremer noted.

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Summit Advances Agenda of Scalable Public AI Applications

The session formed a key part of the Summit’s broader agenda, bringing together policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders to deliberate on translating AI capabilities into scalable public applications.

Discussions highlighted the importance of:

• Structured implementation frameworks

• Responsible scaling and privacy safeguards

• Cross-sector collaboration

• Evidence-driven evaluation before deployment

The India AI Impact Summit 2026 continues to serve as a national platform for shaping AI that delivers measurable governance improvements and citizen-centric outcomes, reinforcing India’s commitment to responsible, sovereign, and impactful AI innovation.