India AI Summit Chaos: 70,000 Attendees Force Minister Apology

The opening day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi was intended to be a showcase of the nation’s technological prowess, but it instead became a case study in the challenges of managing hyper-scale public interest. Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, was forced to issue a formal apology on Tuesday after the event at Bharat Mandapam was overwhelmed by more than 70,000 attendees. The sheer volume of participants led to massive queues, localized evacuations, and a total collapse of digital connectivity within the venue, highlighting a significant gap between India's AI ambitions and its current event infrastructure. This incident is particularly notable given that Bharat Mandapam was designed specifically to handle high-profile international gatherings, yet the "AI fever" currently sweeping the nation proved to be a force beyond the venue's immediate operational capacity.

While the logistical failures were undeniable, the government's response has been to pivot the narrative toward the 'overwhelming response' as a metric of success. Vaishnaw noted that the chaos, while regrettable, underscored how deeply the Indian public and professional sectors are now engaged with artificial intelligence. This surge in interest aligns with the government's broader 'IndiaAI' mission, a multi-year initiative that seeks to democratize AI access and position the country as a global hub for development. The mission, which includes significant investments in sovereign compute capacity and foundational models, relies heavily on public-private partnerships. The fact that 70,000 people—ranging from venture capitalists and seasoned engineers to university students—showed up on day one suggests that the demand side of India's AI equation is far more robust than previously estimated.

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Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, was forced to issue a formal apology on Tuesday after the event at Bharat Mandapam was overwhelmed by more than 70,000 attendees.

Industry analysts suggest that the turnout at Bharat Mandapam—the same venue that hosted the G20 summit—indicates that AI has moved beyond a niche technical subject into a mainstream economic driver in India. The 70,000-person footfall rivals major global tech conferences like CES in Las Vegas or Web Summit in Lisbon, yet the infrastructure at the India AI Impact Summit appeared unprepared for such a concentrated influx. The reported evacuations and connectivity drops are particularly damaging for a summit meant to attract international investors and tech leaders, as they raise questions about the reliability of the local ecosystem during high-stakes deployments. For a summit dedicated to the future of intelligence, the inability to provide stable Wi-Fi or cellular data for attendees creates a jarring disconnect between the policy goals discussed on stage and the reality on the ground.

Furthermore, the demographic makeup of the crowd reflects a broader trend in the Global South, where AI is viewed not just as a productivity tool, but as a primary vehicle for social mobility and economic leapfrogging. The presence of thousands of young developers underscores India's potential to become the innovation lab for global AI development. However, this potential can only be realized if the physical and digital infrastructure can scale at the same pace as the human capital. The bottlenecks seen on Tuesday serve as a warning that without significant upgrades to urban and digital infrastructure, the AI dividend could be hampered by the very friction points that have historically slowed industrial growth in the region.

Moving forward, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) faces the immediate task of stabilizing the summit for its remaining days. Vaishnaw has promised a smoother experience for subsequent sessions, likely involving stricter registration controls, staggered entry times, and enhanced technical support to prevent further network outages. Long-term, this incident will likely prompt a re-evaluation of how India hosts large-scale technology forums. As the country continues to push for leadership in AI policy and research, the ability to execute these high-profile gatherings without technical or physical failure will be seen as a proxy for its readiness to manage the complex requirements of the AI era. For now, the summit remains a symbol of both India's immense potential and its persistent infrastructure challenges, serving as a loud wake-up call for planners of future high-tech mega-events.