Kamal Ghorui
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday shared an AI image with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he’s on three-day tour to India. He’s also set to attend the AI impact summit in New Delhi. The image shows the two nations’ leaders making a heart by joining their hands and smiling, with a text on it saying, “Yes, This is AI”. In the image, two white mugs with the flags of India and France can also be seen. Macron shared this image with the caption, “When friends connect, innovation follows. Ready for The AI Impact Summit!”The summit builds on earlier global initiatives, including the 2025 AI Action Summit in Paris, co-chaired by PM Modi and Macron, brings together world leaders and tech executives to discuss the future of artificial intelligence.Earlier in the day, speaking at an event at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Emmanuel Macron said India and France are aligned on the future of artificial intelligence, stressing the need to avoid overreliance on dominant global models. “I think it is important that this innovation becomes a very important part of our countries. I believe we share the same objective in India and France, and in Europe — that we do not want to be totally dependent on the US and Chinese models. We believe we need our own balanced model, and we want to be part of the solution. We want our players to be part of the solution as well,” he said.Macron described the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi as crucial for advancing responsible and development-focused AI. Referring to earlier global discussions, he said the dialogue must continue to ensure innovation benefits societies broadly.India is hosting the summit from February 16 to 20, structured around three pillars — People, Planet, and Progress. The Prime Minister inaugurated the India AI Impact Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam earlier this week.Billed as the first major global AI gathering in the Global South, the summit has drawn over 20 Heads of State, dozens of ministers, and hundreds of AI leaders. Bringing together policymakers, industry, innovators, and academia, the event aims to translate global AI discussions into practical development outcomes under the IndiaAI Mission and the Digital India initiative.The Prime Minister is set to deliver the inaugural address on February 19, outlining India’s vision for inclusive, trusted, and development-oriented artificial intelligence.
