The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Cities2gether AI’s reflections from the India AI Impact Summit, Delhi

AI&The City

by Actyut Shankar,

As the European Union and India deepen their economic and technological cooperation, artificial intelligence is rapidly emerging as a central area of alignment. For city leaders and urban innovators, understanding how this partnership is evolving in practice is becoming increasingly relevant.

Our partners at Cities2gether were present at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi this week. Their field reflections below offer a candid, ground-level view of both the ambition and the operational realities shaping AI deployment in one of the world’s fastest-moving digital economies. We are publishing their perspective in full for the benefit of urban leaders tracking these shifts closely.

“Come for the AI revolution. Stay because security won’t let you leave or enter. Or both.

Cities2gether AI works at the intersection of smart cities, inclusive technology, and real-world impact. So naturally, attended the summit with great interest and, at times, great disbelief.

THE GOOD: INDIA’S AI AMBITION IS REAL, AND IT’S LOUD

The ambition is undeniable. But so are the contradictions. The India AI Impact Summit was, on paper and in aspiration, a big deal. Not just for India, but for the Global South. This is the fourth in the prestigious series of international AI summits following Bletchley Park, Seoul, and Paris. The fact that New Delhi hosted it signals something important: the world’s most populous democracy, young, tech-savvy, and brimming with engineering talent has planted its flag at the global AI table.[1]

Over 20 Heads of State, 60 Ministers, and 500 global AI leaders gathered in Delhi. A staggering show of diplomatic and technological muscle. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai were among the attendees, and India rolled out a red carpet so red it could be seen from the orbit.

The thematic framework anchored in “People, Planet, and Progress” (or the Three Sutras, if you’re feeling philosophical) actually made sense. The changing summit titles, from AI Safety to AI Impact, reflect a broader global shift away from governance anxiety toward practical, measurable outcomes.

The World Bank showed up with substance, not just slogans. Sessions on “Small AI for Big Impact” highlighted how lightweight AI tools for farmers diagnosing crop pests on basic smartphones, handheld tuberculosis screening devices, AI tutors delivering learning gains comparable to an extra year of schooling. These are already working in the field.

That’s the kind of AI summit Cities2gether AI gets excited about. Not AI for boardrooms. AI for the last mile.

 When UN Secretary General António Guterres takes the stage and warns that AI’s future cannot be left to “the whims of a few billionaires,[2]” you know the Global South has found its voice. LOUDLY.

 

 

THE BAD: GREAT VISION, SHAKY EXECUTION

 Every grand summit has its teething troubles. But this one’s teeth seemed to fall out entirely on Day one. Long queues, locked exhibition halls, session confusion and a theft complaint marred the opening day, raising questions about organisation at an event billed as one of the world’s largest AI gatherings. For starters, the dual-track invite system was a masterpiece of confusion. The inaugural session required physical passes on top of QR codes, with delegates needing to be seated by 7:30 AM[3]. One can only imagine international guests who were  jetlagged, in their best conference blazers, clutching printouts at security checkpoints at dawn, wondering if they’d accidentally signed up for a military drill.

Food stalls inside the venue reportedly accepted only cash, inconveniencing a large number of international visitors who, having arrived in 2026, had not thought to bring rupees in physical form. What also was fascinating was that there was little to no access to public wifis and we could see a lot of exhibitors struggling to maintain a steady internet connection to showcase their products. Sessions were reportedly shut due to overcrowding, which raises an interesting question: if you’re expecting more then 300  exhibitors and 20 Heads of State and half a million delegates (okay, slight exaggeration), perhaps plan for crowds?

 

 

THE UGLY: OH MY. WHERE DO WE EVEN BEGIN

PM Modi Visit: Six Hours in the Hallway, Please

When PM Modi arrived to inaugurate the AI Expo, security cleared the entire exhibition hall, fair enough. What’s not fair is that the gates stayed shut from noon to 6:30 PM. Six and a half hours. No food, no water, no updates. Founders who’d paid thousands of dollars to be there stood baking outside Bharat Mandapam while security made sure everything looked pristine inside.

The NeoSapien Theft: Robbed in a High-Security Zone

It gets worse. When NeoSapien co-founder Dhananjay Yadav returned to his booth after the lockout, India’s first patented AI wearables to find them gone Delhi Police filed an FIR. CCTV identified a person of interest. But the products, and the trust, were already lost. Having your products stolen inside a government venue isn’t a bad experience. It’s a betrayal.

The Galgotias Robodog: “We Built It.” (They Did Not.)

The summit’s viral moment belonged to “Orion”. A quadruped robot dog presented by Galgotias University as their own innovation. Orion did tricks, wowed crowds, became the expo’s star attraction.[4]

Then the internet got involved.

It turns out, Orion is a Unitree Go2 product[5], a commercially available Chinese robot,  available online for about 1600-2800 USD. Even Wipro had one at their pavilion. Same robot, just with the Unitree branding quietly peeled off.

THE CITIES2GETHER AI HOT TAKE

The ambition is real. The global attention is real. The need for a non-Western voice in AI governance is real. India has earned its seat at this table. Now it just needs to manage the seating better. At Cities2gether AI, we believe in the transformative power of AI for cities and communities. We believe India has an extraordinary role to play in that story. But we also believe that if you want to demonstrate AI’s capacity to organise, optimise, and serve people, you should probably start by organising your own conference better.

[1] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2228824&utm_&reg=3&lang=2

[2] https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/ai-summit-india-un-chief-antonio-guterres/article70650495.ece

[3] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-17/india-s-big-ai-moment-starts-on-chaotic-note-as-modi-arrives?

[4] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/chinese-robodog-row-at-ai-impact-summit-why-is-galgotias-university-under-fire-explained/articleshow/128497408.cms

[5] https://shop.unitree.com/products/unitree-go2?srsltid=AfmBOoq2mEv9SJqp-MCkx5689NBAU_4WuQZNBpZGCdQVV-LPZSjaj0sJ