AI start-ups ‘co-architects’ of India’s future, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (January 8, 2026) said that Artificial Intelligence plays a crucial role in transforming the society. He made the remarks at a roundtable with 12 Indian AI start-ups, ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 to be held in India next month, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Mr. Modi said that AI start-ups were the “co-architects” of India’s future and said that the country has immense capacity for both innovation and large-scale implementation. “India should present a unique AI model to the world that reflects the spirit of Made in India, Made for the World,” he added.

World’s trust in India is the country’s biggest strength, PM Modi said, adding that Indian AI models should be “ethical, unbiased, transparent, and based on data privacy principles. Start-ups should work towards global leadership from India, and India can promote affordable AI, inclusive AI, and frugal innovation globally, he added. Mr. Modi also suggested that Indian AI models should be distinct and should promote local and indigenous content and regional languages.

The AI start-ups commended India’s strong commitment to advancing the AI ecosystem in the country. “They highlighted the rapid growth and vast future potential of the AI sector, observing that the centre of gravity of artificial intelligence innovation and deployment is beginning to shift towards India. The leaders said that India now offers a robust and enabling environment for AI development, firmly placing the country on the global AI map,” the PMO said.

CEOs, heads and representatives of Indian AI start-ups including Avataar, BharatGen, Fractal, Gan, Genloop, Gnani, Intellihealth, Sarvam, Shodh AI, Soket AI, Tech Mahindra and Zenteiq and Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State Jitin Prasada were also present during the meeting.