IndiaAI Mission Advances Inclusive AI Agenda at Working Group Meeting on Social Empowerment at IIT Hyderabad

Speakers consistently underscored the importance of embedding inclusion, trust, ethics, and societal context at the core of India’s AI ecosystem.

The IndiaAI Mission, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad, today hosted the Working Group Meeting on Inclusion for Social Empowerment, bringing together senior policymakers, academic leaders, industry experts and researchers to advance national deliberations on inclusive and responsible artificial intelligence.

Held at the IIT Hyderabad campus, the meeting focused on inclusive AI development, equitable access to AI-driven opportunities, and responsible societal adoption, positioning people and communities at the centre of India’s AI journey.

The meeting serves as a precursor to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from 16–20 February 2026, and forms part of a nationwide series of working group consultations shaping the Summit’s thematic agenda and outcomes.

High-Level Participation Emphasises Trust and Inclusion

The inaugural session featured addresses by Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, Indian Chair of the Working Group and Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra; Ambassador Thomas Schneider, Director, Federal Office for Communications, Switzerland; Prof. B.S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad; Dr. Nalin Kumar Srivastava, Additional Director, AI & ET Division, MeitY; and Shri Ch. Bharath Reddy, Joint Director (e-Governance), Government of Telangana.

Speakers consistently underscored the importance of embedding inclusion, trust, ethics, and societal context at the core of India’s AI ecosystem.

Welcoming participants, Prof. B.S. Murty stressed the need for interdisciplinary AI development.“If India truly aspires to lead in AI, we must take bold steps. AI has to bring together engineering, materials science, liberal arts and beyond, with a focus on improving lives while addressing the challenges of responsible and acceptable AI,” he said.

Setting the context, Dr. Nalin Kumar Srivastava noted that the deliberations go beyond technology.“This is about social empowerment, with people at the centre. AI is not merely a technological choice—it is a moral duty,” he said.

AI Must Work for All Sections of Society

In his plenary address, Shri Rajesh Aggarwal highlighted that India’s AI strategy is structured around seven verticals, one of which focuses explicitly on social empowerment, with active participation from international partners.

“India has built strong Digital Public Infrastructure. The next step is adding an AI layer to these systems. As AI grows, it must address bias, work across languages, and ensure it does not widen inequalities but benefits every section of society,” he said.

Shri Ch. Bharath Reddy outlined Telangana’s focus on innovation-led growth and said that insights from the meeting would feed into focused discussions at the India AI Impact Summit, enabling deeper collaboration among stakeholders.

Global Perspective on Responsible and Inclusive AI

Delivering the high-level keynote, Ambassador Thomas Schneider emphasised that AI must be designed and deployed in a way that respects human dignity, fundamental rights, and sustainability.

“AI must be a force for progress—not just for a few, but for everyone. Inclusive, multilateral and multi-stakeholder cooperation is essential to ensure AI serves the common good and does not reinforce bias, exclusion or inequality,” he said.

Technical and Panel Discussions on Inclusive AI

The programme featured a technical keynote, “Reimagine Bharat with AI,” by Prof. Shailesh Kumar, Chief Data Scientist, Reliance Jio, highlighting the role of innovation in scaling national development.

This was followed by two panel discussions:

• Promoting Inclusive AI Development, with experts from IIT Hyderabad, Honeywell, MathWorks, Intel and the University of Hyderabad, examined how inclusivity can be embedded across the AI lifecycle—from data collection and design to deployment and governance.

• Societal Adoption of AI: Opportunities and Challenges, featuring participants from Avartan Labs, LV Prasad Eye Hospital, 1*Works, Conch DeepTech Venture Studio and the REAN Foundation, focused on AI adoption in healthcare and public services, highlighting trust, accountability and community engagement.

Experts shared real-world deployment experiences and stressed that collaboration between developers, governments and communities is critical to ensuring AI delivers meaningful societal outcomes.

Startups, Students and Policy Integration

The event also included startup pitch sessions, student perspectives across education levels, and structured networking discussions, facilitating engagement between innovators, researchers and policymakers.

The day concluded with a closed-door hybrid meeting of the Inclusion for Social Empowerment Working Group, aimed at consolidating insights and formulating actionable recommendations.

Feeding into India AI Impact Summit 2026

The outcomes of the Working Group Meeting at IIT Hyderabad will feed into national-level deliberations at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, reinforcing the Government of India’s commitment to building inclusive, responsible and human-centric AI ecosystems under the IndiaAI Mission, aligned with the long-term vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.