Reframing Impact: AI Summit 2026 - AI Now Institute
In the aftermath of the “AI boom,” this report examines how the push to integrate AI products everywhere grants AI companies - and the tech oligarchs that run them - power that goes far beyond their deep pockets.
Introducing the Series The 2026 AI Impact Summit in India is the latest iteration of an event that has become a bellwether for global discourse around the AI industry, especially the question of whether, and how, it can be governed. But it also demonstrates how important ideas can be invoked in ways that dilute their meaning or co-opt their force. In this series—produced by AI Now Institute, Aapti Institute, and The Maybe—we bring together leading advocates, builders, and thinkers from around the world who live and breathe substance, analysis, and meaningful action into these ideas. Open Source Meredith Whittaker Sovereignty Rafael Grohmann Multilateralism Chinasa T. Okolo Linguistic Diversity Chenai Chair Accountability Nikhil Dey Democratization Audrey Tang AI for Good Abeba Birhane Frugal AI Timnit Gebru AI and Development Usha Ramanathan Climate Naomi Klein Human Capital Joan Kinyua Data Rich Karen Hao The India AI Impact Summit 2026: Early Forensics and Planting the Seeds for a People-Centered Alternative Sumedha Deshmukh, Amba Kak, Astha Kapoor, and Mila Samdub
