AI Summit in Delhi opens to huge interest, crowding leads to delays, confusion
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Feb 17, 2026: The opening day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi on Monday saw thousands of attendees, including startup founders, officials from global tech firms, and other international delegates, drawn to what is being described as one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence events. Day 1 of the event indicated that attendees should keep a couple of hours extra handy in order to mitigate delays caused due to large crowds and heightened interest.
The large crowd on Day 1 did lead to confusion and delays, with exhibitors and founders saying unclear instructions and overlapping security directions resulted in long queues at several spots. Some exhibitors also said that they were asked to vacate their stalls during security sweeps, with limited clarity on when access would be restored.
Organisers said steps have been taken to ease congestion and improve coordination for the remaining days of the event, assuring participants that crowd flow and access management would be smoother in the days ahead.
FOUNDER FLAGS STOLEN WEARABLES DURING CONFUSION
Amid the excitement surrounding the AI Impact Summit, Dhananjay Yadav, co-founder and CEO of Neo Sapien, said he had arrived eager to support the ecosystem and showcase his startup’s AI wearable, but was caught off guard by the sudden evacuation.
He also alleged that security personnel gave conflicting instructions and assured participants that devices left behind would be safe. “Later, we found our wearables were stolen inside the venue. This is extremely disappointing,” he said.
Yadav said the opening day “turned into a pain” after exhibitors were asked to vacate stalls ahead of security checks for the Prime Minister’s visit.
“We paid for flights, accommodation, logistics and even the booth. Only to see our wearables disappear inside a high-security zone,” he wrote, calling the incident “extremely disappointing.”
’LEFT TO WAIT OUTSIDE FOR HOURS’
Punit Jain, founder of Reskill, echoed similar concerns, saying exhibitors, startup founders and delegates were left outside the hall for hours without clarity.
“If access was limited to select guests, it should have been communicated upfront. This is not how we build India’s AI future,” he said, describing Day 1 as disorganised and exclusionary.
ENTREPRENEUR HIGHLIGHTS PATCHY WI-FI, MOBILE NETWORKS
Priyanshu Ratnakar, an entrepreneur, said the summit reflected “optics over execution”, pointing to long queues, exhibitors being locked out of their own stalls, patchy Wi-Fi and mobile network connections at an AI event and repeated registration glitches.
“VIPs walked past massive queues while founders stood outside. It showed a lack of respect for builders,” he said.
He also flagged practical challenges, including congestion at entry points, limited seating and delays in registration systems. Journalists covering the event reported confusion over entry passes and difficulty accessing workspaces during the peak hours.
Despite the rocky start, organisers have positioned the summit, which runs until February 20, as a key platform for shaping global AI conversations and amplifying voices from the developing world.
Despite the first-day disruptions, many exhibitors said they remain hopeful of smoother operations and stronger engagement in the days ahead, especially with the presence of Big Tech companies and international industry leaders.
ABOUT AI IMPACT SUMMIT 2026
The AI Impact Summit, billed as one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence gatherings, opened in the national capital on Monday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the event.
Spread across 10 arenas covering more than 70,000 square metres, the summit brings together global technology firms, startups, academia, research institutions, union ministries, state governments and international partners.
The expo features over 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations organised across three thematic themes — people, planet and progress.
A major highlight of the summit is the participation of more than 600 high-potential startups, many of which are showcasing AI solutions already deployed at population scale and in real-world settings.
The event also underlines growing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem, with 13 country pavilions representing Australia, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan and Africa.