AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable

20 Feb 2026 10:00h - 11:00h

AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable

Session at a glanceSummary, keypoints, and speakers overview

Summary

The session opened with Erez Askal emphasizing the deep, values-based India-Israel partnership and declaring artificial intelligence the next frontier for joint growth, while thanking Indian hosts and noting that the summit is only the beginning of expanded cooperation [3-5][11-14][15]. Sanjay Kumar then described AI’s geopolitical impact and recalled seven-to-eight decades of bilateral collaboration in water, defense, agriculture and smart cities, positioning Telangana as a leading Indian AI hub with a state-backed AI centre, a dedicated fund-of-funds and a reputation for rapid IT development [20-24][26-29][30].


Victor Goselman argued that AI can speed every phase of the scientific research cycle and suggested two concrete partnership models: joint grant schemes for AI-enabled research and Indian-origin AI services that support researchers in both nations [45-51]. Complementing this, Sanjay Kadaveru outlined Action for India’s AI impact cohort, its focus on “true AI” startups with proprietary data and domain expertise, and cited a recent mentorship exchange with Israeli AI21 Labs co-founder Ori Goshen as a tangible example of cross-border knowledge transfer [82-88][92-104]. He also highlighted the Dristi programme that places Israeli deep-tech startups in Indian incubators such as T-Hub, arguing that India’s frugal-innovation testbed can scale solutions worldwide [106-112][113].


In education, Meirav Zerbib reported parallel efforts in personalized learning, stressing the shared challenge of teacher professional development and the need to move from sandbox pilots to nationwide scaling for India’s 250 million students [124-130][131-133]. Garima Ujjainia added that joint R&D sandboxes, the Atal Innovation Mission and India’s massive market position already create bridges for Israeli technologies to reach global users, but government coordination remains essential [139-148][149-155]. Nir Dagan warned that AI should augment, not replace, essential human interactions in schools and health services, urging a focus on preserving core relationships while digitizing [158-159]. Victor further described Israel’s “Scanning Horizon” AI-driven trend-monitoring mechanism and announced an emerging collaborative pilot with India to enhance strategic planning [164-170].


Across the panel, participants concurred that public trust and transparent governance-such as clear disclosure of AI bots-are prerequisites for any large-scale AI rollout [225-227][236-238]. The audience raised concerns about the existential risks of quantum and AI, prompting the panel to stress the need for international standards and safeguards as part of the bilateral agenda [217-223][224-226]. The discussion concluded that a coordinated India-Israel AI ecosystem-leveraging Israeli deep-tech, Indian scale and talent, and potential third-party capital-offers a pathway to globally relevant innovations, provided robust policy frameworks and trust mechanisms are put in place [186-191][202-205].


Keypoints


Major discussion points


Joint AI-driven scientific research – Both sides see value in co-funded grants and leveraging India’s large pool of AI-trained researchers to build services that embed AI throughout the research cycle, while Israel contributes its strong R & D and senior expertise[48-51][56-58].


AI for social impact and deep-tech entrepreneurship – Action for India’s new “AI impact cohort” targets “true AI” startups that combine proprietary data and domain expertise to accelerate climate, agriculture and health solutions[78-85]; the Drishti programme already pilots Israeli deep-tech startups in Indian incubators[106-109]; and the GRAIL (Green AI Learning Network) initiative aims to create a global ecosystem that couples Israeli deep-tech with India’s engineering talent and market scale for climate-AI solutions[174-188].


Education, teacher empowerment and scalable learning solutions – Israel and India share a vision for personalized learning, teacher professional development and moving from sandbox pilots to nationwide scaling; examples include joint work on AI-enabled curricula and the need to up-skill teachers as change agents[128-133], while India’s NITI Aayog highlights existing sandbox and R & D collaborations that need formal bridges[139-144].


Digital public infrastructure, governance and public trust – The panel stressed that AI deployment must be transparent and trustworthy, with citizens informed when interacting with bots and clear governance frameworks to protect against misuse[225-226]; this aligns with broader policy-to-action discussions about sandboxes, standards and coordinated government mechanisms[162-165].


Strategic geopolitical alignment and broader partnership – AI is framed as a driver of political and economic realignment, positioning India as a key ally for Israel in the Indo-Pacific and beyond; Israel’s “Scanning Horizon” foresight tool and the upcoming India-Israel PAK-Silica peace-technology agreement illustrate the high-level strategic intent[20-23][236-242][250-251].


Overall purpose / goal


The discussion aimed to map and deepen Indo-Israeli cooperation in artificial intelligence across multiple domains-scientific research, social-impact entrepreneurship, education, digital infrastructure, and strategic geopolitics-by identifying concrete initiatives, sharing best-practice models, and outlining pathways for joint funding, pilot programs, and policy frameworks that can be scaled globally.


Tone of the discussion


The conversation began with a diplomatic, optimistic tone celebrating the long-standing friendship between the two nations[1-4][22-24]. As speakers entered, the tone shifted to a more detailed, collaborative focus on specific programs and opportunities[48-51][78-85]. Mid-session, the dialogue adopted a pragmatic and solution-oriented tone, emphasizing implementation challenges, the need for trust, and governance safeguards[158-159][225-226]. Throughout, the tone remained constructive and forward-looking, ending on a hopeful note about future high-level agreements and shared global impact[236-242][250-251].


Speakers

Speakers (from the provided list)


Victor Gosalker – Head of Horizon Line Division, Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Israel [​S3​].


Audience – Member of the audience (no specific role or title mentioned).


Sanjay Kumar – Special Chief Secretary, IT, ENC, and Industries & Commerce, Government of Telangana; IT Secretary for the state [​S7​].


Garima Ujjainia – Innovation Lead, NITI Aayog (Government of India) [​S9​][​S10​].


Meirav Zerbib – Director, Research & Development Department, Ministry of Education, Israel [​S11​].


Moderator – Session moderator (no specific title or affiliation mentioned).


Sanjay Kadaveru – Founder and Chairman, Action for India; associated with the Sun Group family office [​S16​].


Nir Dagan – Head of Innovation Data and Artificial Intelligence Department, Israel National Digital Agency [​S19​].


Erez Askal – Speaker representing the Israeli delegation (specific role or title not specified in the transcript).


Additional speakers:


None (all participants are accounted for in the list above).


Full session reportComprehensive analysis and detailed insights

Erez Askal opened the session by welcoming the participants and thanking the organisers, stressing that the India-Israel partnership rests on shared values and common challenges faced by a combined population of a billion people. He framed artificial intelligence as the next strategic frontier that offers “amazing opportunities together” and highlighted Israel’s ambition to be among the world’s top three AI innovators, noting that the country now has “found… amazing friends with a vision, with ambition” in India. He concluded that the summit “marks only the beginning of a deeper cooperation” and wished the hosts success [1-5][11-14][15].


The moderator then welcomed the audience, introduced Special Chief Secretary, IT, ENC, and Industries and Commerce, Government of Telangana – Sanjay Kumar, and framed the panel’s first question on how India and Israel could jointly apply AI within scientific research [20-23][31-41][42]. He also introduced Nir Dagan, head of Innovation Data & AI, Israel National Digital Agency, highlighting his role in the discussion [155-156].


Sanjay Kumar outlined the geopolitical reshaping driven by AI and recalled the seven- to eight-decade-long India-Israel friendship that already spans water conservation, defence, agriculture and smart-city projects. Representing Telangana, he positioned the state as a leading Indian hub for IT, AI and emerging technologies, citing its status as the second-largest IT centre in the country and the first Indian state to launch a state-backed AI hub and a “fund-of-funds” dedicated largely to AI and IT startups. He urged that these assets make Telangana a natural partner for Israel’s rapid, decision-driven AI integration [26-30][27-29].


Victor Gosalker, Head of Horizon Line Division, Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Israel, described the scientific-research cycle-from question formulation to hypothesis generation, literature review and experimentation-as a process that can be accelerated at every stage through AI. He proposed two concrete collaboration models: (i) joint grant programmes that provide mutual funding for AI-enabled research, and (ii) the development of Indian-origin AI services that support researchers in both countries throughout the entire research workflow [45-47][48-51].


San​jay Kadaveru, Founder and Chairman, Action for India (and senior executive of the Sun Group family office), explained that his organisation has recently launched an “AI impact cohort” targeting “true AI” startups-those that own proprietary data, possess deep domain expertise and solve problems that are only tractable with current AI/AGI tools. He recounted a mentorship exchange with Ori Goshen, co-founder of Israel’s AI21 Labs, which inspired the cohort’s participants. Kadaveru also highlighted the “Dristi” programme, which places Israeli deep-tech startups in Indian incubators such as T-Hub to pilot solutions in agriculture, health and climate, arguing that India’s frugal-innovation test-bed can scale these solutions globally [78-85][92-104][106-112][113].


Meirav Zerbib, Director of Research & Development, Ministry of Education, Israel, reported that an international AI conference in Israel was recognised by the Indian government as a pre-conference to the AI Impact Conference, underscoring mutual respect. She noted that both countries are developing personalised learning platforms and face the same challenge of up-skilling teachers, whom she described as “the main agents of change”. She called for collaborative professional-development programmes and for moving from sandbox pilots to nationwide scaling, especially given India’s 250 million-student population versus Israel’s 2.3 million [122-124][125-130][131-133].


Garima Ujjainia, Innovation Lead, NITI Aayog, added that several joint R & D sandboxes, incubators and the Atal Innovation Mission already exist, but they remain fragmented and require a coordinated governmental bridge to become a unified AI ecosystem. She stressed that India’s massive market makes it an ideal test-bed for Israeli technologies, and that formal mechanisms-such as the I4F initiative-are needed to channel Israeli solutions into Indian users while also allowing Indian startups to enter Israeli and global markets [139-148][149-155].


The moderator then asked how AI could intersect with India’s digital public infrastructure [158-159]. In response, Nir Dagan warned against allowing AI to replace essential human interactions in education and health, insisting that “the essential products, the essential services… you want AI not to replace” must be preserved to avoid bureaucratic disengagement. He linked this to the broader need for public trust, arguing that transparency-such as informing citizens when they are interacting with a bot and offering an opt-out to a human-is the “most valuable currency” for AI adoption [160-162][225-227].


Victor Gosalker later introduced Israel’s “Scanning Horizon” foresight mechanism, which uses AI tools to monitor global trends, detect weak signals and surface emerging technologies for government strategic planning. He announced a nascent collaborative pilot with India on this tool, noting that six months after an Indian delegation’s visit the two sides were already moving toward an agreement [164-166][167-170].


Across the discussion, several points of agreement emerged. All speakers affirmed that the India-Israel AI partnership is at an early, strategic stage and requires institutional mechanisms such as joint grant schemes, state-backed AI hubs and fund-of-funds to finance collaborative research [3-5][26-30][48-51][139-155]. They also concurred that education initiatives must keep teachers central, develop personalised-learning sandboxes and scale them nationally [45-58][122-130][139-148]. Moreover, participants uniformly stressed that public trust, transparency and robust governance guardrails are non-negotiable prerequisites for any large-scale AI rollout [160-162][225-227][139-155].


Moderate disagreements were noted. Nir Dagan framed India’s unique contribution in spiritual-ethical terms, positioning the country as the “spiritual capital” that can guide the global AI revolution [207-213], whereas others (Kumar, Gosalker, Zerbib) highlighted concrete technical assets such as the Telangana AI hub, joint grant programmes and education sandboxes [26-30][45-51][122-130]. On governance, the audience called for an internationally accepted framework to prevent misuse of AI and quantum technologies [217-223]; Garima advocated for a national-level coordinated approach using India’s test-bed capacity [139-155], reflecting a tension between global standards and national implementation. Finally, Victor portrayed the Scanning Horizon collaboration as rapidly advancing [164-170], while Garima described many existing initiatives as fragmented and in need of formal bridges [139-155].


Key take-aways and proposed actions


1. Establish joint mutual-fund grant programmes to embed AI across the scientific-research cycle (Victor Gosalker) [48-51].


2. Leverage Telangana’s AI hub and its fund-of-funds to co-finance R & D projects (Sanjay Kumar) [26-30].


3. Expand the AI impact cohort and the Dristi programme to bring more Israeli deep-tech startups into Indian incubators such as T-Hub (Sanjay Kadaveru) [78-85][106-112].


4. Create education sandboxes and teacher-training pipelines through India’s I4F and Atal Innovation Mission, with Israeli ed-tech partners participating (Meirav Zerbib, Garima Ujjainia) [122-130][139-148].


5. Operationalise the Scanning Horizon joint monitoring effort to feed strategic insights to both governments (Victor Gosalker) [164-170].


6. Advance the Green AI Learning Network (GRAIL) and a dedicated Grail Investment Fund to attract capital from the US, Europe and elsewhere for climate-focused AI startups (Sanjay Kumar) [174-188].


7. Prepare for the upcoming India-Israel prime-ministerial meeting, during which a formal AI cooperation agreement is expected to be signed (moderator’s reference) [250-251].


Unresolved issues include the precise design of the joint grant mechanism, the development of internationally recognised AI/quantum guardrails, coordination among multiple ministries and state agencies to avoid fragmentation, and the definition of timelines, milestones and revenue-sharing models for sandbox-to-market pathways. Suggested compromises involve building joint solutions from day one rather than post-pilot partnerships (Kadaveru), channeling existing sandboxes and funding through a dedicated governmental liaison (Ujjainia), and aligning Israel’s deep-tech strengths with India’s scale and third-party capital to produce affordable, globally relevant AI solutions (Kadaveru) [196-201][174-188].


The moderator concluded by thanking the panelists and indicating that audience questions would follow [260-262]. The panel reiterated that the success of Indo-Israeli AI collaboration hinges on transparent governance, sustained public trust and the ability to translate pilot projects into scalable, impact-driven solutions that benefit both nations and the wider world [214-216][250-251].


Session transcriptComplete transcript of the session
Erez Askal

Hello, everyone. I’m so glad to be here, and welcome to everyone. Thank you for the organizers. The cooperation between India and Israel, of course, based on a deep relationship of values and the same challenges, because, you know, together we are a billion people, as you know. So, well. And now the issue is AI. I believe that in AI we have amazing opportunities together. Before, you know, Israel was going to lead to be one of the top three of the world. And we understand that we need allies. Before this week, I thought that we need to found allies. Now I can say that we found. And really amazing, amazing friends with a vision, with ambition, I feel like in Israel.

And I just want to say thank you to our friends in India. Of course, this amazing summit, but of a deep relationship and cooperation. And I just want to say that it’s just the beginning. So thank you very much. And good luck. Thank you.

Moderator

Now I’d love to invite Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, IT, ENC, and Industries and Commerce from the government of Telangana. He’s involved in developing advanced therapeutics, AI -driven drug discovery, and strengthening the IT and manufacturing ecosystem in Telangana. So please, I’d like to invite sir. Thank you.

Sanjay Kumar

What India as a country is doing. And you know, AI as such is, everybody knows that it’s evolving very fast, but it is, what impact it is having on geopolitical situation, I think it’s leading to political and economic realignment. So today, we are here with our Israeli friends, India’s and Israel’s friendship is quite deep, it runs into last seven, eight decades. We have active partnerships going on in the field of water conservation, defense, agriculture, and so on, smart cities also. In fact, I had visited, as from my earlier avatar in Ministry of Urban Development, for smart cities, I’ve seen a couple of places in Israel. So now it is the turn of AI, and given the deep relationship we have, I think we can work to…

together and when it comes to work because I am representing right now my state Telangana where I am working as IT secretary there. So when it comes to partnership in AI, Telangana is one of the leading hubs of IT AI and emerging technologies. We have been told that we are aware that Israel is one of the very few countries where AI has been integrated to government decision making and Israel is known for its speed, the way you take decisions, the way it is implemented. When you are looking at India, Telangana will be your natural choice because we are known for IT progress since last 3 -4 decades. We are I think second largest IT hub in India and plus we have, when it comes to AI, we are the first state which has launched a state backed initiative, AI hub which we call AI hub.

it ICOM and to help the startups we have recently launched our fund of funds we are one of the four five states we launched fund of funds which majority part of that will be focused on AI and IT I think there are a lot of opportunities where we can collaborate and work so my best wishes to all the panelists I think everybody will have a very fruitful discussion and after this I think everybody will get enlightened. Thank you.

Moderator

Thank you sir for laying out the foundation for what promises to be a very important discussion I would now like to introduce all the speakers here to come in accompanying us starting off with mr. Nir Dagan head of innovation data and artificial intelligence department Israel National Digital Agency then miss Meirav Zerbib director of of Research and Development Department, Ministry of Education, Israel. Then Mr. Sanjay Kadaveru, Founder and Chairman, Action for India, Sun Group. Mr. Victor Gosalker, Head of Horizon Line Division, Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Israel. And lastly, Ms. Garima Ujjainia , Innovation Lead, NITI Aayog . Now I’d like to hand over the reins to… Thank you. Thank you. Not because just you’re sitting beside me, but like, I will go in a very random order.

But just to make my point. So my first question to you is like very, very, and the foundational level is that is like, in what ways do you think like Israel and India can partner in applying artificial intelligence, specifically within scientific research, because science and technology is one of the major aspects that most of the, you know, emerging, globally, every countries are looking into. Including the impact summit, we had one of the working groups. science and technology. So with that, I would like to start the conversation with you.

Victor Gosalker

Thank you everyone. Hello to everyone this noon. Science has a research cycle. Research cycles mean we are starting with the question, the research question, truth generating the hypothesis, the literature, exploration, and of course the experimentation. The AI, implementation AI in the whole cycle of research accelerates the productivity of the science. So in Israel, we are just starting to think about how to implement in each stage of the process the AI. I think the collaboration with India can be in two aspects. One is to prove the mutual funds to give grants to researchers to implement AI in science. It’s obvious, but the second one is to develop in India, I think because in India there is the great advantage of well -educated researchers, specifically in AI.

I think India can develop specific services to support science, implementing AI in science in all stages, and support researchers in India and Israel in that way to encourage the research productivity.

Moderator

I think that’s excellent points. Two important aspects when it comes to collaboration is scientific research, how that can be like academic partnerships, and second one is the skilled labor. And also, as you mentioned, India has a lot of skilled labor, which is working within these innovations. Would you like to add something?

Victor Gosalker

Yes, I really agree with you. The real advantage of India is the skill regarding Israel, the skill and the well -educated people here. So the combination between those aspects give the opportunity to collaborate with Israel that has the advantage in the R &D and also the senior researchers in some fields.

Moderator

Thank you so much. I’ll circle back to you as we go forward. Now I would like to go to Mr. Sanjay. Sir, thank you so much for joining and great work that you have been driving through Action for India. So from the Indo -Israel perspective, how do you really see AI -driven social innovations evolving? And especially within some of the critical sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and all of those aspects. And how can we move forward from there?

Sanjay Kadaveru

Thank you. Firstly, it’s been one of a kind of an experience to be part of this AI impactor. In fact, I’ve been around the block. but I’ve never seen anything like this. So kudos to the Indian government and all the delegates from the 100 plus countries who’ve come here. It’s just been amazing learning, amazing people, amazing networking and all that. So kudos to all the organizers who made this session possible. I wear a couple of hats. One hat is as a founder and chairman of an organization called Action for India. So we’ve been around for more than a dozen years and we focus on working with social entrepreneurs, for -profit social entrepreneurs in sectors like education, healthcare, agriculture, livelihood, fintech, cleantech.

So we identify these startups in the early stages of the scaling journeys and then connect them with resources to help scale the impact of the work, be it funding, mentors, technology resources, government nation makers, customers and what have you. So yeah, in this dozen years of work, there’s been… We have 1 ,000 social entrepreneurs we work with in some shape or form. And now, with everybody latching on to the AI bandwagon for all the right reasons, we’ve also put our hat in the ring. And so we’ve just recently launched an AI impact cohort. And so this is about a dozen entrepreneurs who are selected from about 100 applications in three sectors, climate, agri, healthcare. And as you might imagine, if you’ve gone to any of these halls, everybody is AI this, AI that.

But our premise or hypothesis is that if you make the extra effort in identifying the true AI startups, and what do I mean by true AI startups? Startups that have access to proprietary data. Startups that have deep domain expertise in whatever sector they are coming in from. And startups that are pursuing solutions that could not have been pursued but for the current AI, AGI, tools and technologies. Those startups, if you focus on them, my sincere belief is that the scale of impact… as well as the pace of impact would be significantly higher, better, larger than even tech -enabled social startups. So it is with that premise that we are putting in a lot of time and energy into this new version 3 .0 of AFI.

We are focusing on all things at the intersection of AI and impact. And in my remarks later on in this panel, I want to talk about two things. Some things that are already happening at the country level, at the organizational level like AFI and the family that I work with. So I want to give specific examples. It’s not just theory or some ideas, find the sky kind of ideas. So when we launched this cohort, it was just about a few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to meet with an Israeli entrepreneur by the name Ori Goshen. Members of the Israeli delegation might recognize his name. He is the co -founder and co -CEO of this company called AI21 Labs.

This is one of the premier AI startups from Israel. I met him at a family office conference in the Bay Area sometime back. And he was the keynote speaker when we had this valedictory event a little while ago. And it is these kind of exchanges that happen between entrepreneurs in Israel and ecosystems in India. They inspired the dozen entrepreneurs who were there in that session. And Ori is, of course, a commercial startup. He has raised hundreds of millions of dollars. And he is at a completely different trajectory. But to have somebody like that profile, engaging with entrepreneurs, and then sharing their insights in terms of what to do, what not to do. These are the kind of things that can go a long way in terms of making things better.

And there is one initiative that I want to highlight to the audience here. An initiative called Dristi, which was launched a few years ago. This is, again, the whole premise there is in terms of how do you focus on deep tech startups and how do you focus on deep tech startups and how do you focus on deep tech startups from Israel, people working in sectors like defense, AI, robotics. and how do you give them, I mean, in this particular case, these startups, we’re working with T -Hub, which is a, yeah, the secretary was here. This is one of the more marquee incubators from India and these startups were given opportunities to launch their pilots, work with local partners and evolve their solutions.

So these kind of things are already happening and we’d love to see more of these things happen. And one final point that I’d like to make here is that India is really a test bed for social innovation. I mean, the problems that are, we have more problems than most of the parts of the world, but the solutions that are developed in India are being developed with a frugal innovation or a Gandhian engineering perspective. And these solutions with minor customization can be very relevant for other parts of the world, be it other parts of Asia, Africa, Latin America. So again, marrying Israeli deep tech with the innovation, Indian talent pool, the Indian potential for scale, Indian frugal innovation.

can make great things happen for the world.

Moderator

Excellently put, sir, in terms of important facets of when it comes to exchange, especially I think the first point that you mentioned in terms of why these kinds of dialogues are very important, right? Exchange happens through these things and new ideas and new knowledge gets birthed there, right? And also an excellent point you mentioned in terms of how, especially when you’re talking about social sector and it’s testbed as India because we have a hurry of people, different contextualities, which is excellent for us to test all of these solutions. So I’ll circle back to you, sir, but I would like to come to Ms. Meirav here. I hope I’m pronouncing your name right. But yeah, so that’s a beautiful name, though.

So I think I just wanted to pick up on the point, which Victor had mentioned in terms of the scientific research. So if you could bring in a little bit of light towards where do we really stand when it comes to Indo -Israel Education Innovation Partnerships, and how are we planning to take that forward?

Meirav Zerbib

Okay, so two weeks ago, we had an international conference in Israel regarding AI, and we were so honored when the government here in India recognized our conference as a pre -conference to the AI Impact Conference. So we have a great respect to India. And when I came, I said it also when I spoke on Tuesday, when I came to India, the minister called me, and he said, please, come with insight. an opportunity to collaborate with India. So I’m here in a mission, and I want to share with you what I understood throughout the three days that I’m here. I’m going to departure tomorrow. So, yeah. So I would like to relate to the students, teachers, and the whole system.

I understood that when I came and I presented the 720, innovative, personalized systems in Israel, I thought that I invented the world. But then I understood that the Indian Ministry of Education has the same vision, and they’re also working on the same solutions. So we have solutions that we are developing in Israel, and also India is developing. its own system so we can share knowledge because no one knows how to promote personalization we all have the same values we want that no one will be left behind and and this is something that i found that we can collaborate on regarding teachers when i spoke to the ministry to the general secretariat of education and the innovation department i understood that we have also the same challenge with teachers we both understand the teachers are the main the main agent of change so nothing will will happen without teachers so how to build a different and moderate and and work on a professional development together and promote teachers knowledge of how to integrate ai into the curriculum this is something that we can share you the third thing that I want to relate to is how to move from framework to scaling up this is something also I presented it also on my lecture and this is something that we can also learn from each other this is a huge country we have in Israel only 2 .3 million students and here you have 250 million students so you have a huge challenge but still it’s the same how to move from framework using sandboxes and managing risk and mitigating them and scaling up this is something I find really an opportunity to share knowledge, research

Moderator

That’s excellent I think that’s all it takes in terms of looking at the similarities and the same vision that India and Israel has towards Like, how can we make the, you know, last mile get the positive impacts of the solution itself? And excellent points that you mentioned in terms of, like, teachers. That’s also a major problem that, like, you know, within India, we are also trying to, like, look at, like, how can we complement technology with teachers? And then also, like, very important question is that is, like, you know, how policy to action. And I think there’s a lot of exchange, not only with Israel, but globally also, like, a lot of exchange is important for us to, like, bridge that gap between, like, you know, something on the paper towards action.

So I’ll circle back to you. But right now I just wanted to bring in Ms. Garima, who’s from the, who’s, who’s the representation here we have from the Indian government. So, Garima, thanks for joining and would like to, like, have your perspectives in terms of, like, what kind of collaborations from Indian side that you see with Israel? research collaborations and like you know Meirav also mentioned about sandboxes and other aspects so anything that you would like to bring from the Indian perspective

Garima Ujjainia

I am not sure if I can say this Shabbat Shalom I can say right Shabbat Shalom and thanks to Maya she had taught me whatever Hebrew I know so I was in Israel last year thanks to Maya we were on a high level AI delegation from the counterparts to Israel and I think the dialogue that I have been having here rightly put out like they already are there into the collaborations it’s just that you know it’s the school education, the sandboxes the research part to it the R &D, the incubators they are already in talks it’s just that the bridges has to be made from the Indian government we already have an I4F and I think that’s really important and I think that’s really important and I think that’s really important and I think that’s really important and I think that’s really important project that has already been going on where research, joint researches are being built with India and Israel and that has to be tested to the market.

Now I was in, I was talking to Victor yesterday about if so I’m representing NITI Aayog, Government of India and into that Atal Innovation Mission. So we are the mission and the organization body which is trying to or is certainly putting out that innovation is the backbone of the country will be helping to make Bharat, the Vixit Bharat we are trying to make in 2047. So we actually pitch that if we can do jointly collaborative some sandboxes if you know the technology that Israel has if they can be on boarded into the Indian market, the exposure of the startups can be given to the Indian market. And the Indian startups certainly goes to also Israel and they test their products there because if you say India is currently trying to make local products for the global market.

So the cost that is what we have in edge and that we can give it to the other markets. And if you will say from the other countries not just Israel but the whole if you take as globe as the market. Now India becomes the user. We are the customers. We are the biggest customers right now for any market right now. So we become the test beds for a lot of technologies which are already out there into the market and if you people want to test it. So that that sort of a call is what and becomes the foundation of their all the bridges has been made. So the government has been trying to push the same thing.

And if you go to the expo you will see the the marquee products of the companies which are there and they are saying that we are building it for the Indian market. We want to come and enter. The market if you go to the chat GPT both they are like we are already doing so much of hackathons. We are already started penetrating into the Indian state. now it’s like they the fragmentation is the work has been in fragmented what we have to do is as a government also to make it more together and that is what we are trying to do so government is already out there trying to build it’s just you know we have to pick the right players to make it together and hold it.

Moderator

That’s that’s great points um Garima i think like you know uh in a nutshell like i can say that like this is the entire uh mission that we have is like making india for the globe and um and and and when we talk about making india for the globe is also means that we need like -minded countries to like you know join our hands and like start making that kind of solutions which has scalability across the globe as well as like some solutions globally also to be like you know more adaptable to the indian context so thank you so much for that points and now i want to like move to um need here thanks thanks for patiently waiting uh you know lads to have your perspective last but not the least very important question to you is because it’s very close to Indians is the digital public infrastructure and the digital journey and the transformation that India has had over the past decade is just very commendable right.

So as we move forward especially when we talk about intersectionality between the digital infrastructure and AI where do you see both the countries can complement each other?

Nir Dagan

value. So if someone would say, oh, we have a new digitization process and now you don’t need to meet the teacher, I would be disappointed as a citizen because education for me means that my son and I and the teacher can talk about his education. So you need to understand what are the essential products, what are the essential services that you want AI not to replace in order to eliminate the bureaucracy that doesn’t make the people in India do their real work as teachers, as social workers, as physicians.

Moderator

Thank you so much for those points. I think it was very grounding to know that we pulled back the conversation that digital transformation is not about the technology, it’s about the people. So the necessity comes from the people and people has to be put first and I think that’s where the entire summit is also called the impact and who is it impacting is the people, right? so those are excellent points and I think like as you mentioned in terms of like academic collaborations and like you know public sector needs that kind of like vision which will be provided by the other you know policy actors and stakeholders we are also doing the NDIAI mission which is trying to like you know try to involve as many players as possible through different initiatives under seven pillars so as we move forward I think like you know it’s going to really like pick up and also I think like there has to be some level of global contribution to this as well as something that should be like you know thought through.

Thank you so much for those points I’ll circle back to you so we have 15 minutes I would also want to pick up people’s questions but before that I wanted to you know have one round of like closing remarks from all the panelists maybe we can start with Victor

Victor Gosalker

okay I want to add this and tell you about the mechanism I’m head of in Israel, the mechanism called Scanning Horizon, like in other advanced countries, regarding to improve the strategic planning of the government, truth, understanding the global trends, and specifically the emerging technology that shape our world. And we are using some of the AI tools for monitoring the global trends and the new trends, weak signals in light to alert about the new trends, and also to find the next emerging technology that shape our world, and contribute to the strategic planning. We are now standing with collaboration with Indian side about this issue of scanning horizon and emerging technology. Next week, I hope it will be, next time.

and this is a good opportunity for me to thank the Indian side because they visited us last year. We exposed them the tools, the AI tools and the mechanism and they appreciate it and very fast. We are just six months after the Indian side visit in Israel and we are already in the track of agreement. So it’s very fast. Thank you.

Moderator

Thank you so much, Victor. Maybe now we can have Mr. Sanjay too.

Sanjay Kumar

So one of the things that I’ll mention is I said at the beginning that I wear two hats. One is as the founder and chairman of Action for India. I also work for a family office called the Sun Group. So we are a fourth generation business family and we have business interests across the US, Africa, Europe, India. One initiative in particular that I want to mention is we have a lot of people who are very passionate about this. talk about and implications for India -Israel relationship is an initiative called GRAIL, G -R -A -I -L, as in Holy Grail. It stands for Green AI Learning Network. And the whole idea is in terms of how do you leverage some of the current AI, AGI technologies for scaling solutions, accelerating solutions that address climate change.

So we are currently on a mission to form a global ecosystem across investors, entrepreneurs, executives, researchers, foundations to move this agenda forward. Last year, we had a massive convening in London. We had about 200 professionals from places like Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, Alan Turing Institute, which is the premier AI institute for the UK, came together and were discussing in panels like this on themes like smart grids, renewables, new material innovation, climate modeling, and topics like that. And we’d like to bring this initiative, GRAIL, to other parts of the world, be it the US, be it other parts of Europe. to other parts of the world, be it other parts of the world, to other parts of the world, be it other parts of the world, or even to Israel.

And I think, yeah, in terms of the complementarities that exist between the two ecosystems in Israel and in India. Israel, as you know, it’s got a culture of deep tech, research of bold experimentations. And if you marry that with a huge engineering talent in a place like India and, yeah, the potential for scale, I think, yeah, big things can happen. And to this, it need not be just a bilateral relationship between India and Israel. If you bring in actually a triangulated model of collaboration with, say, pools of capital from a geography like the U .S., then things can happen. I mean, you can make affordable solutions made available to the globe by marrying the technology of Israel, the large markets of India, and, yeah, the capital, leveraging the capital of places like the U .S.

So this is something that… Again, as this initiative moves forward, there could be a Grail Investment Fund wherein we could identify early -stage startups working at the intersection of climate and AI solving problems in this domain. And one thing in my closing remarks. So there are elements about what has already happened, elements that can happen. But a couple of ideas in terms of two, three ideas about what could be some new or different things that could be attempted. So in the past, traditionally it’s been what I told you, shared with you about the Drishti initiative. It was startups from Israel coming to a T -Hub in Hyderabad and then working with local partners and collaborating later on.

Maybe what could be attempted is in terms of building things together from day one rather than a partnership much later. That’s something that could be attempted. And see what happens there. And then building a robust pipeline of innovation opportunities. opportunities that traverse the defense and the civilian application case and again leveraging the complementarities of the little sort of ecosystems. If you build that pipeline I think more good things could emerge and the last point is in terms of not just limiting it to a bilateral relationship but marrying the strengths of these two ecosystems and doing good things for the world by bringing in other stakeholders into the equation.

Moderator

Thank you so much. I think that’s a great point and I think at Dialogue we also work with other countries and one important aspect was the same as building together for cross -border solutions and very fascinating results we have seen when two countries come together and two talent pools from two different countries come together solving for the same goal but also complementing both sides of context. Excellent point. Thank you so much. I would love now to come to Ms. but I have to give her closing remarks ok I see the clock so I just want to say that your prime minister is about to come to Israel next week and he will meet with our prime minister and I hope that a delegation of the ministry of education in India will come to Israel and we will go forward to the next step and sign an assignment together I’m really looking forward to it we are also looking forward to the same what’s going to come out of it yes now let’s go to Ms.

Garima

Garima Ujjainia

I think everyone has put everything on the table so there is nothing any specific I would want to share but ministry of education you said the PM is going to Israel I think that makes the if health, security remains the priority points of both the countries and if something can come up in that I think innovation will anyways cut across all the sectors so if you know some the priorities of both the nations can marry together with the same agendas and we can contribute towards both of it I think that

Nir Dagan

excellent so I saw that many many of the sessions here we’re dealing with a question of what could be the optimal contribution of India to the global AI revolution and it’s quite a difficult question because you have everything here you have the best coders and you have energy sources and you have water supply and you have compute power but in my opinion as your guest this is not the most unique thing that you can find in India I believe that the AI revolution holds a very significant spiritual crisis for the world. If I’m a lawyer and now my job is better performed in the legal arena by AI, then I’m in a real crisis. If I’m a coder and in the last two years the codes of Claude became better than me in coding, then many people see it as a crisis.

And I think that India is the spiritual capital of the world. You have thousands of years in exploring the human spirit. And if there is something that AI will never replace, this is the human spirit. And this is what I would like you to bring to the global AI revolution that we are having.

Moderator

Thank you so much, Nir. And thank you so much for the panelists for all the great questions, answers and excellent points. But I’m sure like audience here also have a lot of questions to ask to the panelists. before we conclude we can take few questions here

Audience

Both countries represents minority ethnic minorities cultural ethnic minorities so but we have to be the guardians of the global human civilizational existence because the quantum the AI is part quantum is going to unleash the power of compute accessible to every individual in his palm which can act misuse abuse to threaten societies communities countries it may go to rogue actors bad governments rogue nations as well so for that But there is no single entity in the world which is trying to develop a framework or models or some kind of a globally accepted best practice standard based thing. Because a stitch in time saves nine. No corporate which is developing quantum is taking responsibility of having guardrails in place because they are all pro -profit individual companies.

Quantum is real happening now. So but a stitch in time saves nine. It is onus on the part of Israel and India to create human existential rail guards for us to survive and also to give a global standards, global rail guards. As a minority ethnic cultural minorities of the world. it’s an existential issue.

Moderator

yeah I think just putting the question I think like is trust and safe like you know it’s an important aspect when we actually talk about the solutions as well anybody in the panel would want to like touch on like how both countries can work together on putting together that governance framework as we move forward any thoughts anybody.

Nir Dagan

So I think that as governments we need to understand that the most important coin for us is not rupees or dollars but public trust and public trust this is the reason that we are here for if we will not have public trust then no one will download our apps and no one will make us even go to the AI and trust is like a tree it is very hard to build it is very hard to grow but you can cut it off in a second and I think that this makes us very much responsible to the matter of public trust in the when we deploy AI solutions when we develop quantum solutions we need to be extremely transparent with the public we need the public to be involved in our development process we need to the public to know exactly what technologies we are using if an AI bot from the Ministry of Welfare is calling me I want to know that it is a bot and I want to be able to say oh I want to speak with the real person oh I want a real person to examine my situation and I think that trust cost a lot of money and sometimes it makes us a bit slower but this is the direction and transparency is the direction in which we should be towards if we want the revolution to succeed.

Moderator

excellent point trust is the bedrock for anything that we are talking here without trust there’s no uptake we have time for one more question

Audience

I’m dr. silent I have agreed to start What I have seen since the last three, four decades, Israel technology for agriculture, water conservation, it is supreme. All over the world, they know the technology also, and they know the speed of decision also of Israeli. And Israel, through America, they are having global power. Now through India, they can have a global purpose. We are not only in India, but the whole world is going to have a virtual land for you, for a global purpose. How you are going to do, I would like to see that. Thank you.

Moderator

Over to the panelist. Thank you.

Victor Gosalker

Thank you for the question. I’m from the Ministry of Science and Innovation and Technology in Israel. And we see India not just a… bilateral partner, as a global partner, because we see India will become in the 21… century as a global superpower and we start with the Indo -Pacific region. Israel developed a strategy for the Indo -Pacific region and we see India as a key state, a key country in this region. And this region is the center of the gravity of the global world regarding economy, demography, technology, of course. Technology is transit from the western side of the world, of the global world, to the Indo -Pacific. Look at China, India, Korea, and all the other countries here, Japan, of course.

So we are in Israel, see India as a strategic partner, not just for India, just for our region.

Meirav Zerbib

I would like to add that, Nir, say something about necessity. and necessity in India makes you much greater innovative than Israel and the United States. I want to give a small example. Yesterday we visited the Indian Institution of Technology and I met entrepreneurs with innovative, they presented to me not a product, not a technological product, but a STEM product like a game and it was so innovative. Because the entrepreneurs in India think about so many people, so many varieties of students that should take this game and make it relevant to so different societies and the price was so low that then I said, I want it to every class in Israel. So it’s so powerful.

We don’t have it in Israel and of course not in the US.

Nir Dagan

India is about to join the PAK -Silica agreement and first of all congratulations for joining this agreement that we are already part of and we really really appreciate I think that many people are speaking about the silica part of PAK -Silica but the first word is PAKS which actually means peace and I think that India is also a superpower in making peace and we can learn a lot from you in this matter as well so Shabbat Shalom and Ramadan Kareem for everyone who is fasting and let’s pray for peace in the Middle East.

Related ResourcesKnowledge base sources related to the discussion topics (10)
Factual NotesClaims verified against the Diplo knowledge base (3)
Confirmedhigh

“Erez Askal emphasized that the India‑Israel partnership rests on shared values and common challenges, representing a combined population of a billion people, and expressed gratitude for finding “amazing friends with a vision, with ambition” in India.”

The knowledge base states that Askal highlighted the cooperation built on shared values, common challenges and that together the two countries represent a billion people, and he thanked the allies for their vision and ambition [S1].

Confirmedhigh

“Sanjay Kumar recalled the seven‑ to eight‑decade‑long India‑Israel friendship that already spans water conservation, defence, agriculture and smart‑city projects.”

The source notes that speakers emphasize a strong foundation of India-Israel cooperation over seven to eight decades, with collaborations across defence, agriculture, water conservation and smart-city initiatives [S3].

Additional Contextmedium

“Representing Telangana, Sanjay Kumar positioned the state as a leading Indian hub for IT, AI and emerging technologies, citing its status as the second‑largest IT centre in the country and the first Indian state to launch a state‑backed AI hub and a fund‑of‑funds for AI and IT startups.”

Additional information from the knowledge base highlights Telangana’s focus on healthcare and software, describing Hyderabad as a global hub for these sectors, which adds nuance to the claim about the state’s prominence in IT and emerging technologies [S83].

External Sources (86)
S1
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — Thank you sir for laying out the foundation for what promises to be a very important discussion I would now like to intr…
S2
https://dig.watch/event/india-ai-impact-summit-2026/ai-collaboration-across-borders_-india-israel-innovation-roundtable — Thank you sir for laying out the foundation for what promises to be a very important discussion I would now like to intr…
S3
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — -Victor Gosalker- Head of Horizon Line Division, Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Israel
S4
WS #280 the DNS Trust Horizon Safeguarding Digital Identity — – **Audience** – Individual from Senegal named Yuv (role/title not specified)
S5
Building the Workforce_ AI for Viksit Bharat 2047 — -Audience- Role/Title: Professor Charu from Indian Institute of Public Administration (one identified audience member), …
S6
Nri Collaborative Session Navigating Global Cyber Threats Via Local Practices — – **Audience** – Dr. Nazar (specific role/title not clearly mentioned)
S7
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — Agreed with:Sanjay Kumar — Deep historical relationship and shared values between India and Israel
S9
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — Garima Ujjainia from NITI Aayog emphasized India’s dual role as both a massive customer base and testing ground for glob…
S10
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — -Garima Ujjainia- Innovation Lead, NITI Aayog (Government of India)
S11
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — -Erez Askal- Role/title not specified in transcript, appears to be from Israeli delegation -Meirav Zerbib- Director of …
S12
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — Meirav Zerbib emphasizes that teachers are the primary drivers of educational transformation and that nothing will happe…
S13
Keynote-Olivier Blum — -Moderator: Role/Title: Conference Moderator; Area of Expertise: Not mentioned -Mr. Schneider: Role/Title: Not mentione…
S14
Day 0 Event #250 Building Trust and Combatting Fraud in the Internet Ecosystem — – **Frode Sørensen** – Role/Title: Online moderator, colleague of Johannes Vallesverd, Area of Expertise: Online session…
S15
Conversation: 02 — -Moderator: Role/Title: Event moderator; Area of expertise: Not specified
S16
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — Thank you sir for laying out the foundation for what promises to be a very important discussion I would now like to intr…
S17
https://app.faicon.ai/ai-impact-summit-2026/ai-collaboration-across-borders_-indiaisrael-innovation-roundtable — Thank you sir for laying out the foundation for what promises to be a very important discussion I would now like to intr…
S18
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — – Sanjay Kadaveru- Garima Ujjainia- Meirav Zerbib – Victor Gosalker- Sanjay Kadaveru
S19
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — Impact:This comment fundamentally reframed the conversation’s conclusion, moving from practical collaboration discussion…
S20
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — These key comments transformed what could have been a routine diplomatic discussion about technical cooperation into a p…
S21
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — -Erez Askal- Role/title not specified in transcript, appears to be from Israeli delegation
S22
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — Erez Askal emphasizes that the cooperation between India and Israel is built on a foundation of shared values and common…
S23
Artificial intelligence (AI) – UN Security Council — In conclusion, the discussions highlighted the importance of fostering transparency and accountability in AI systems. En…
S24
Can (generative) AI be compatible with Data Protection? | IGF 2023 #24 — In conclusion, transparency is a key factor in various aspects of AI and the organizations involved in its development a…
S25
Telangana launches Aikam to scale AI deployment — The Telangana government haslaunchedAikam, a new autonomous body aimed at positioning the state as a global proving grou…
S26
The Innovation Beneath AI: The US-India Partnership powering the AI Era — Jensen at Davos called this the largest infrastructure build -out in human history. Two weeks ago, 54 countries launched…
S27
Leaders’ Plenary | Global Vision for AI Impact and Governance- Afternoon Session — Thank you, and thank you, Prime Minister Modi, for organizing this amazing summit. I’ve been so impressed with what I’ve…
S28
AI Innovation in India — -Deepak Bagla- Role: Mission Director; Title: Atal Innovation Mission And that’s what we’re solving. Before we built Ho…
S30
Building Climate-Resilient Systems with AI — The GRAIL Initiative and Collaborative Networks: Significant discussion centered on the Green Artificial Intelligence Le…
S31
Digital Public Infrastructure, Policy Harmonisation, and Digital Cooperation – AI, Data Governance,and Innovation for Development — An audience member emphasized the importance of thorough research in policy formulation. This point resonated with the p…
S32
Indias AI Leap Policy to Practice with AIP2 — Discussion point:Trust-building through clear governance frameworks
S33
Keynote-HE Emmanuel Macron — Macron emphasizes the alignment between French and Indian approaches to AI development, focusing on sovereignty while se…
S34
Keynote Adresses at India AI Impact Summit 2026 — The discussion shows remarkable consensus among all speakers regarding the Pax Silica initiative, U.S.-India strategic p…
S35
The National Education Association approves AI policy to guide educators — The US National Education Association (NEA) Representative Assembly (RA) delegates haveapprovedthe NEA’s first policy st…
S36
Fostering hybrid curriculum for inclusive learning environments — Aurélien Fiévez:In summary, what we can bring as complements beyond the recommendations we have already given. I think t…
S37
TRATEGY FOR CATION POLIC ZECH REPUBL STRATEGY FOR THE EDUCATION POLICY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC UP TO 2030+ — – a) The review of the framework curricula is an opportunity to lighten, adapt and redefine the core and further develop…
S38
WSIS Action Line C7: e-Learning: Empowering Educators and learners: Enhancing Teacher Training and e-Learning for Digital Inclusion — Neutral in its stance, the analysis recognises the profound value of personalized learning and its optimal one-to-one in…
S39
Process coordination: GDC, WSIS+20, IGF, and beyond — Sergio Garcia Alves:Thank you, moderator. So on behalf of ALAI and the private sector, I would like to congratulate the …
S40
High-Level Track Inaugural Leaders TalkX: Forging partnerships for purpose: advancing the digital for development landscape — Saadoui highlighted complexities in project governance, noting challenges in “determining whether initiatives are techno…
S41
High Level Leaders Session 2 | IGF 2023 — Moreover, the analysis advocates for a value-led institutional response involving multiple stakeholders. This ethos alig…
S42
AI-Driven Enforcement_ Better Governance through Effective Compliance & Services — Summary:The symposium demonstrated remarkably high consensus among speakers on fundamental AI principles, implementation…
S43
Advancing Scientific AI with Safety Ethics and Responsibility — This panel discussion examined the complex challenges of governing artificial intelligence systems in scientific researc…
S44
AI-Driven Enforcement_ Better Governance through Effective Compliance & Services — The symposium demonstrated remarkably high consensus among speakers on fundamental AI principles, implementation goals, …
S45
From Technical Safety to Societal Impact Rethinking AI Governanc — The session opened with Virginia Dignum’s foundational argument that fundamentally reframed the AI safety debate. Rather…
S46
Driving Indias AI Future Growth Innovation and Impact — This discussion focused on India’s artificial intelligence strategy and the unveiling of Dell Technologies’ blueprint fo…
S47
Setting the Rules_ Global AI Standards for Growth and Governance — The importance of standards will not diminish over time due to both policy incentives for collective action and clear ma…
S48
Panel Discussion Data Sovereignty India AI Impact Summit — By domestic, which is because in the age of AI, I strongly believe that the sovereign AI compute infrastructure has beco…
S49
Setting the Rules_ Global AI Standards for Growth and Governance — A particularly striking revelation emerged from Joslyn Barnhart of Google DeepMind, who observed that “regulation has go…
S50
Media Hub — High level of consensus with complementary perspectives rather than conflicting views. The religious leader’s emphasis o…
S51
Responsible AI for Shared Prosperity — Disagreement level:Very low disagreement level. All speakers aligned on core issues: the need for multilingual AI, the i…
S52
AN INTRODUCTION TO — ing to which the network should merely transmit data between two endpoints rather than introduce intermediaries, is ofte…
S53
Indias Roadmap to an AGI-Enabled Future — Disagreement level:Low to moderate disagreement level. Most speakers shared common goals of building India’s AI ecosyste…
S54
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — Summary:Both speakers emphasize the strong foundation of India-Israel cooperation built over seven to eight decades, wit…
S55
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — – Erez Askal- Sanjay Kumar – Meirav Zerbib- Moderator – Nir Dagan- Moderator – Sanjay Kadaveru- Garima Ujjainia- Meir…
S56
Agents of Change AI for Government Services & Climate Resilience — Summary:There is unanimous agreement that while AI agents offer significant benefits, robust guardrails, transparency, a…
S57
UNGA/DAY 1/PART 2 — The advancement of AI is outpacing regulation and responsibility, with its control concentrated in a few hands. (UN Secr…
S58
Artificial intelligence (AI) – UN Security Council — Algorithmic transparency is a critical topic discussed in various sessions, notably in the9821st meetingof the AI Securi…
S59
Keynote-Martin Schroeter — Organizational and public trust in AI systems is established through implementing clear operational boundaries and ensur…
S60
Searching for Standards: The Global Competition to Govern AI | IGF 2023 — Audience:Thank you. My name is Sonny. I’m from the National Physical Laboratory of the United Kingdom. There’s a few wor…
S61
Evolving AI, evolving governance: from principles to action | IGF 2023 WS #196 — Auidence:I think maybe it’s easier if we all ask the question then any panel member can just catch on it. In four minute…
S62
AI Meets Cybersecurity Trust Governance & Global Security — “AI governance now faces very similar tensions.”[27]”AI may shape the balance of power, but it is the governance or AI t…
S63
Why science metters in global AI governance — Low to moderate disagreement level with high consensus on core principles but divergent views on implementation strategi…
S64
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — Victor Gosalker identifies complementary strengths between the two countries, with Israel having advantages in research …
S65
AI Collaboration Across Borders_ India–Israel Innovation Roundtable — And I think, yeah, in terms of the complementarities that exist between the two ecosystems in Israel and in India. Israe…
S66
Building Climate-Resilient Systems with AI — And within that, there are endless taxonomies of all the wonderful things that AI can do. And, of course, you’ll be worr…
S67
Indias AI Leap Policy to Practice with AIP2 — Discussion point:Trust-building through clear governance frameworks
S68
From principles to practice: Governing advanced AI in action — This comment was insightful because it identified a critical gap in AI governance: the lack of systematic follow-up and …
S69
Panel Discussion AI in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) India AI Impact Summit — Both speakers acknowledge the challenge of making government data available for AI innovation while protecting sovereign…
S70
Panel Discussion AI in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) India AI Impact Summit — Creating accountable institutions at both central and state levels to balance agility with governance requirements Esta…
S71
Scaling AI for Billions_ Building Digital Public Infrastructure — The conversation highlighted the critical importance of building proper foundations before implementing AI capabilities,…
S72
Revisiting 10 AI and digital forecasts for 2025: Predictions and Reality — In 2025, the trend of ‘securitisation’ of the economy will significantly impact the tech sector, compelling companies to…
S73
Keynote Adresses at India AI Impact Summit 2026 — “India is a trusted country.”[66]. “And critically, India brings strength.”[68]. “I welcome you all and especially those…
S74
Opening of the session — This comment provided crucial leadership by acknowledging the difficulty of the remaining negotiations while maintaining…
S75
Summit meetings: Their importance in diplomacy — More than evolving into an annual event, this trilateral format of cooperation was promoted with other like-minded count…
S76
Welcome remarks | 31 May — Acknowledging the stark global challenges and the importance of collaboration, the Mayor expressed belief in the summit’…
S77
Summit Opening Session — This framing established the philosophical foundation for the entire summit, shifting the conversation from national int…
S78
https://app.faicon.ai/ai-impact-summit-2026/fireside-chat-the-future-of-ai-stem-education-in-india — So, we welcome you to the panel. Gauri Agarwal, who is the CTO of Coel AI, she would be joining us virtually for the ses…
S79
Building Inclusive Societies with AI — -S. Anjani Kumar: Role/title not explicitly mentioned in the transcript, appears to be moderating or introducing the pan…
S80
Signature Panel: Building Cyber Resilience for Sustainable Development by Bridging the Global Capacity Gap — Moderator:Good morning, and it is an honor to be with you today and to participate in this inaugural Global Roundtable o…
S81
AI in Mobility_ Accelerating the Next Era of Intelligent Transport — Speakers:Arun Palai, Sanjay Bandopadhyay, Moderator Speakers:Dr. Shiv Kumar, Sanjay Bandopadhyay, Akhilesh Srivastava, …
S82
Open Internet Inclusive AI Unlocking Innovation for All — “Very few individuals have done more to bring revolutionary and transformative technology into the hands of millions tha…
S83
Fixing Healthcare, Digitally — Anumula argues that affordable and high-quality healthcare is essential for the development and progress of any society….
S84
Building Trusted AI at Scale Cities Startups & Digital Sovereignty – Keynote Hemant Taneja General Catalyst — Taneja argued that India is uniquely positioned to lead in AI deployment due to its status as the world’s strongest grow…
S85
Keynote-Vishal Sikka — Throughout his address, Sikka positioned India as uniquely positioned to lead AI development. He shared a personal child…
S86
Imagine world of AI: Netanyahu’s speech at UNGA78 — In his address to the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA78), Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of the State ofIsrael, discu…
Speakers Analysis
Detailed breakdown of each speaker’s arguments and positions
E
Erez Askal
1 argument56 words per minute170 words180 seconds
Argument 1
AI partnership as a deep‑value alliance, marking the start of a strategic bilateral relationship
EXPLANATION
Erez frames the India‑Israel AI collaboration as rooted in shared values and common challenges, presenting it as the beginning of a long‑term strategic partnership. He emphasizes that AI offers remarkable joint opportunities and that the relationship is only at its inception.
EVIDENCE
He welcomed participants, highlighted the deep values-based relationship between India and Israel, and emphasized that AI offers amazing joint opportunities, noting that the partnership is just beginning [3-5][13-14].
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
The roundtable notes a deep historical relationship and shared values between India and Israel, confirming the strategic, value-based nature of the AI partnership [S1] and [S3].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Strategic AI partnership foundation
AGREED WITH
Sanjay Kumar, Victor Gosalker, Meirav Zerbib, Garima Ujjainia
DISAGREED WITH
Nir Dagan, Sanjay Kumar, Victor Gosalker, Meirav Zerbib
N
Nir Dagan
2 arguments153 words per minute633 words247 seconds
Argument 1
Positioning India’s spiritual and ethical heritage as a unique contribution to the global AI revolution
EXPLANATION
Nir argues that the AI revolution creates a profound spiritual crisis and that India, as the world’s spiritual capital, can provide an ethical compass that AI cannot replace. He suggests that India’s centuries‑old exploration of the human spirit is a vital contribution to responsible AI development.
EVIDENCE
He stated that the AI revolution holds a significant spiritual crisis, positioning India as the world’s spiritual capital whose long tradition of exploring the human spirit offers a unique ethical contribution that AI cannot replace [207-213].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Spiritual and ethical contribution to AI
DISAGREED WITH
Sanjay Kumar, Victor Gosalker, Meirav Zerbib, Erez Askal
Argument 2
Public trust and transparency are non‑negotiable; citizens must know when they interact with AI systems and retain the option for human assistance
EXPLANATION
Nir stresses that trust and transparency are essential for any AI deployment, insisting that users must be informed when they are dealing with AI and must be able to request human interaction. He describes trust as fragile but critical for the success of AI initiatives.
EVIDENCE
He emphasized that public trust and transparency are essential, insisting citizens must be informed when interacting with AI systems and retain the option for human assistance, describing trust as a fragile yet critical asset [207-213].
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
UN Security Council discussions and IGF 2023 reports stress transparency, accountability and public trust as essential for ethical AI deployment [S23] and [S24].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Trust and transparency in AI
AGREED WITH
Garima Ujjainia, Audience
DISAGREED WITH
Audience, Garima Ujjainia
S
Sanjay Kumar
3 arguments156 words per minute1010 words386 seconds
Argument 1
Telangana’s AI hub as a state‑level bridge that showcases India’s readiness to partner with Israel on AI
EXPLANATION
Sanjay presents Telangana as a leading Indian IT and AI hub, noting its status as the second‑largest IT centre in the country and the first state to launch a state‑backed AI hub and a dedicated ‘fund of funds’ for AI. He positions the state as a natural partner for Israel’s AI ambitions.
EVIDENCE
He described Telangana as a leading IT and AI hub, noting it is the second largest IT centre in India, the first state to launch a state-backed AI hub and a ‘fund of funds’ focused on AI, positioning it as a natural partner for Israel [26-30].
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
Telangana’s launch of the Aikam autonomous body positions the state as a global proving ground for large-scale AI deployment, highlighting its readiness for international collaboration [S25].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Telangana as AI partnership bridge
AGREED WITH
Erez Askal, Victor Gosalker, Meirav Zerbib, Garima Ujjainia
DISAGREED WITH
Nir Dagan, Victor Gosalker, Meirav Zerbib, Erez Askal
Argument 2
Telangana’s state‑backed AI hub and “fund of funds” provide financing and infrastructure to enable joint research projects
EXPLANATION
He reiterates that Telangana’s AI hub and its fund of funds supply capital and support structures that can finance collaborative research with Israel. This financial infrastructure is presented as a concrete mechanism for joint R&D.
EVIDENCE
He reiterated Telangana’s state-backed AI hub and the ‘fund of funds’ that allocates capital to AI startups, presenting it as infrastructure that can finance joint R&D projects with Israel [26-30].
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
The Aikam initiative includes a state-backed AI hub and a dedicated fund-of-funds to allocate capital to AI startups, offering concrete financing mechanisms for joint R&D [S25].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Financing joint AI research
Argument 3
Telangana’s AI hub, state‑backed AI initiative, and fund of funds create a replicable model for other Indian states and for bilateral projects
EXPLANATION
Sanjay argues that the model established in Telangana—combining a government‑backed AI hub with dedicated funding—can be replicated across India and serve as a template for future bilateral collaborations with Israel and other partners.
EVIDENCE
He highlighted Telangana’s AI hub, its state-backed AI initiative and the fund of funds as a replicable model for other Indian states and bilateral projects [26-30].
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
The Telangana model is presented as a template that can be replicated across India and leveraged for bilateral collaborations, as described in the launch briefing of the AI hub [S25].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Replicable AI hub model
V
Victor Gosalker
2 arguments121 words per minute547 words269 seconds
Argument 1
AI can accelerate every stage of the scientific research cycle; propose joint grant programmes and Indian AI services to support Israeli and Indian researchers
EXPLANATION
Victor outlines the typical research cycle and argues that embedding AI at each stage can dramatically boost scientific productivity. He proposes joint grant programmes and suggests India develop AI services to assist researchers in both countries.
EVIDENCE
He described the scientific research cycle, explained that integrating AI at each stage can boost productivity, proposed joint grant programmes for researchers, and suggested India develop AI services to support both Indian and Israeli scientists [45-51].
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
Victor Gosalker highlighted Israel’s view of India as a strategic partner and outlined joint scientific-research funding opportunities that embed AI across the research lifecycle [S1] and [S3].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
AI‑enhanced research and joint funding
AGREED WITH
Sanjay Kumar, Garima Ujjainia
DISAGREED WITH
Nir Dagan, Sanjay Kumar, Meirav Zerbib, Erez Askal
Argument 2
“Scanning Horizon” AI tool used by Israel for strategic foresight; proposes joint monitoring of emerging technologies with India
EXPLANATION
Victor introduces Israel’s ‘Scanning Horizon’ mechanism, which leverages AI to track global trends and weak signals of emerging technologies. He announces a forthcoming joint collaboration with India to extend this strategic foresight capability.
EVIDENCE
He described Israel’s ‘Scanning Horizon’ mechanism that uses AI tools to monitor global trends and emerging technologies, and announced a forthcoming joint collaboration with India on this strategic foresight system [164-170].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Joint strategic foresight using AI
DISAGREED WITH
Garima Ujjainia
G
Garima Ujjainia
2 arguments170 words per minute668 words234 seconds
Argument 1
Existing joint R&D sandboxes, incubators, and Atal Innovation Mission initiatives need formal bridging to scale collaboration
EXPLANATION
Garima notes that several collaborative structures—such as sandboxes, incubators, the I4F programme and the Atal Innovation Mission—are already in discussion but lack formal mechanisms to scale Indo‑Israeli cooperation. She calls for concrete bridges to connect these initiatives.
EVIDENCE
She mentioned existing collaborations such as sandboxes, incubators, the I4F programme and the Atal Innovation Mission, stating that these initiatives are already in discussion but need formal bridges to scale Indo-Israeli cooperation [139-155].
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
The discussion notes existing sandboxes, incubators, the I4F programme and the Atal Innovation Mission, calling for formal bridges to scale Indo-Israeli cooperation [S1] and [S28].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Formal bridging of existing R&D initiatives
AGREED WITH
Sanjay Kumar, Victor Gosalker
DISAGREED WITH
Victor Gosalker
Argument 2
Coordinated government effort is required to build standards, guardrails, and market bridges, leveraging India’s large user base as a test‑bed
EXPLANATION
Garima argues that India’s massive user base makes it an ideal test‑bed for AI and quantum technologies, and that coordinated government action is needed to create standards, guardrails and market pathways. She references ongoing dialogues with Israel and the need to select the right partners.
EVIDENCE
She emphasized that India’s massive user base makes it an ideal test-bed for AI and quantum technologies, calling for coordinated government standards, guardrails and market pathways, and noting ongoing dialogues with Israel and the need to pick the right partners [139-155][217-223].
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
Garima emphasized India’s massive user base as an ideal test-bed and the need for coordinated government standards, guardrails and market pathways, echoing points made in the roundtable summary [S1] and [S28].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Government‑led standards and test‑bed strategy
AGREED WITH
Nir Dagan, Audience
DISAGREED WITH
Audience, Nir Dagan
A
Audience
1 argument102 words per minute287 words167 seconds
Argument 1
A global governance framework and guardrails are essential to prevent misuse of AI and quantum technologies
EXPLANATION
The audience warns that AI and quantum technologies could be misused by rogue actors, stressing the urgent need for an internationally accepted framework of standards and guardrails. They call on India and Israel to lead the creation of such safeguards.
EVIDENCE
The audience warned that AI and quantum technologies pose existential risks and called for an internationally accepted framework of guardrails and standards, urging India and Israel to lead this effort [217-223].
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
UN and IGF reports call for internationally accepted AI governance frameworks, standards and guardrails to mitigate misuse risks [S23] and [S24].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Need for global AI and quantum governance
AGREED WITH
Garima Ujjainia, Nir Dagan
DISAGREED WITH
Garima Ujjainia, Nir Dagan
S
Sanjay Kadaveru
3 arguments176 words per minute910 words309 seconds
Argument 1
Focus on “true AI” startups that own proprietary data and deep domain expertise; launch AI impact cohorts to fast‑track social impact
EXPLANATION
Sanjay defines ‘true AI’ startups as those possessing proprietary data, deep sector knowledge, and solutions uniquely enabled by current AI tools. He explains that his AI impact cohort selects such firms to accelerate social impact in climate, agriculture and health.
EVIDENCE
He defined ‘true AI’ startups as those with proprietary data, deep domain expertise, and solutions enabled uniquely by current AI tools, and explained that his AI impact cohort selects such firms to accelerate social impact [81-86].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Identifying and scaling true AI startups
Argument 2
The Dristi initiative links Israeli deep‑tech firms with Indian incubators (T‑Hub) for pilot deployments in agriculture, health and climate
EXPLANATION
Sanjay describes the Dristi programme as a partnership that connects Israeli deep‑tech companies with India’s T‑Hub incubator, enabling pilots in key sectors such as agriculture, health and climate through local collaborations.
EVIDENCE
He highlighted the Dristi programme that connects Israeli deep-tech firms with India’s T-Hub incubator, enabling pilots in agriculture, health and climate sectors through local partnerships [106-109].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Cross‑border pilot programmes via Dristi
Argument 3
GRAIL (Green AI Learning Network) aims to unite investors, researchers, and entrepreneurs across the US, Europe, Israel, and India to scale climate‑focused AI solutions
EXPLANATION
Sanjay introduces GRAIL as a global ecosystem that brings together investors, entrepreneurs, researchers and foundations to accelerate climate‑focused AI solutions. He cites a recent London convening with 200 experts from leading institutions as evidence of its momentum.
EVIDENCE
He introduced the Green AI Learning Network (GRAIL), a global ecosystem of investors, entrepreneurs and researchers aimed at scaling climate-focused AI solutions, citing a recent London convening with 200 experts from leading institutions [174-184].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Global climate‑AI collaboration platform
M
Meirav Zerbib
1 argument122 words per minute547 words268 seconds
Argument 1
Shared vision for AI‑enabled personalized learning, teacher professional development, and scaling through sandbox pilots
EXPLANATION
Meirav reports that both Israel and India share a vision for AI‑driven personalized education and recognize teachers as the key agents of change. She stresses the need to move from frameworks to large‑scale implementation using sandboxes and risk‑mitigation strategies.
EVIDENCE
She recounted a recent AI conference recognized by the Indian Ministry of Education, and outlined shared goals for personalized learning, teacher professional development and scaling via sandbox pilots, emphasizing common challenges and the need to move from frameworks to large-scale implementation [122-130][131-140].
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
The roundtable highlighted a shared vision for AI-driven personalized education, teacher development and sandbox pilots for large-scale rollout [S3].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Collaborative AI in education
AGREED WITH
Nir Dagan, Moderator
DISAGREED WITH
Nir Dagan, Sanjay Kumar, Victor Gosalker, Erez Askal
M
Moderator
1 argument135 words per minute1587 words702 seconds
Argument 1
Emphasis that trust is the bedrock for AI adoption; without it, deployment fails
EXPLANATION
The moderator reinforces the earlier points about trust, stating that public confidence is essential for any AI solution to be adopted and that lack of trust will cause deployments to fail.
EVIDENCE
The moderator reiterated that trust is the foundation for any AI deployment, warning that without it adoption will fail [160-162].
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
Both UN Security Council and IGF discussions underline trust, transparency and accountability as foundational for successful AI adoption [S23] and [S24].
MAJOR DISCUSSION POINT
Trust as prerequisite for AI deployment
AGREED WITH
Nir Dagan, Garima Ujjainia, Audience
Agreements
Agreement Points
Strategic AI partnership foundation between India and Israel across sectors
Speakers: Erez Askal, Sanjay Kumar, Victor Gosalker, Meirav Zerbib, Garima Ujjainia
AI partnership as a deep‑value alliance, marking the start of a strategic bilateral relationship Telangana’s AI hub as a state‑level bridge that showcases India’s readiness to partner with Israel on AI AI can accelerate every stage of the scientific research cycle; propose joint grant programmes and Indian AI services to support Israeli and Indian researchers Shared vision for AI‑enabled personalized learning, teacher professional development, and scaling through sandbox pilots Existing joint R&D sandboxes, incubators, and Atal Innovation Mission initiatives need formal bridging to scale collaboration
All speakers underline that the India-Israel AI collaboration is at an early, strategic stage and requires institutional mechanisms, joint funding and sector-specific programmes to realise its potential [3-5][13-14][26-30][49-51][122-130][139-155].
POLICY CONTEXT (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
The long-standing India-Israel cooperation spanning defence, agriculture, water and smart cities provides historical precedent for a strategic AI partnership, as highlighted in the India-Israel Innovation Roundtable summary [S54] and the detailed partnership overview [S55].
Need for dedicated financial mechanisms and joint funding to support AI R&D and startups
Speakers: Sanjay Kumar, Victor Gosalker, Garima Ujjainia
Telangana’s state‑backed AI hub and ‘fund of funds’ provide financing and infrastructure to enable joint research projects AI can accelerate every stage of the scientific research cycle; propose joint grant programmes and Indian AI services to support Israeli and Indian researchers Existing joint R&D sandboxes, incubators, and Atal Innovation Mission initiatives need formal bridging to scale collaboration
There is consensus that state-backed AI hubs, fund-of-funds, and joint grant schemes are essential to finance collaborative research and startup acceleration [26-30][49-51][139-155].
POLICY CONTEXT (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
India’s AI roadmap stresses public-private financing and joint funding mechanisms to accelerate R&D, echoing discussions at the AI Future Growth summit [S46] and calls for sovereign compute infrastructure that can be funded nationally [S48].
Education collaboration must keep teachers central and focus on personalized learning
Speakers: Meirav Zerbib, Nir Dagan, Moderator
Shared vision for AI‑enabled personalized learning, teacher professional development, and scaling through sandbox pilots Public trust and transparency are non‑negotiable; citizens must know when they interact with AI systems and retain the option for human assistance Emphasis that trust is the bedrock for AI adoption; without it, deployment fails
All three stress that teachers are the key agents of change in AI-enabled education and that AI should augment, not replace, human instruction, with trust as a prerequisite [122-130][158-159][160-162].
POLICY CONTEXT (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
International education policy briefs underline teacher-centred AI integration and personalized learning models, as seen in the NEA AI policy guidance for educators [S35] and WSIS e-Learning recommendations on personalized instruction [S38]; hybrid curriculum insights further stress resource sharing for inclusive learning [S36].
Trust, transparency and public guardrails are essential for AI deployment
Speakers: Nir Dagan, Moderator, Garima Ujjainia, Audience
Public trust and transparency are non‑negotiable; citizens must know when they interact with AI systems and retain the option for human assistance Emphasis that trust is the bedrock for AI adoption; without it, deployment fails Coordinated government effort is required to build standards, guardrails, and market bridges, leveraging India’s large user base as a test‑bed A global governance framework and guardrails are essential to prevent misuse of AI and quantum technologies
A broad consensus emerges that trust, transparency and robust regulatory guardrails are non-negotiable for successful AI adoption, and both national and global frameworks are needed [207-213][160-162][139-155][217-223].
POLICY CONTEXT (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
Multiple multistakeholder forums converge on the need for transparent, accountable AI systems, with explicit guardrail recommendations from the Agents of Change session [S56], UN calls for universal AI standards [S57], and emphasis on algorithmic transparency at the AI Security Council [S58]; organizational trust frameworks were also highlighted by Martin Schroeter [S59].
India’s large user base makes it an ideal test‑bed for AI and quantum technologies
Speakers: Garima Ujjainia, Nir Dagan, Audience
Coordinated government effort is required to build standards, guardrails, and market bridges, leveraging India’s large user base as a test‑bed Public trust and transparency are non‑negotiable; citizens must know when they interact with AI systems and retain the option for human assistance A global governance framework and guardrails are essential to prevent misuse of AI and quantum technologies
Speakers agree that India’s massive population provides a unique environment to pilot AI/quantum solutions, but this must be done with strong safeguards and governance [139-155][207-213][217-223].
POLICY CONTEXT (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
India’s massive digital population is cited as a strategic test-bed in the national AI roadmap discussion [S53] and reinforced by arguments for sovereign AI compute infrastructure to leverage scale [S48]; the broader AI Future Growth dialogue also notes India’s role in bridging the global AI divide [S46].
Similar Viewpoints
Both advocate for concrete financial and programmatic mechanisms (grant programmes, fund‑of‑funds) to enable joint AI research and development [49-51][26-30].
Speakers: Victor Gosalker, Sanjay Kumar
AI can accelerate every stage of the scientific research cycle; propose joint grant programmes and Indian AI services to support Israeli and Indian researchers Telangana’s state‑backed AI hub and ‘fund of funds’ provide financing and infrastructure to enable joint research projects
Both place teachers at the centre of AI‑driven education and stress that AI must complement, not replace, human educators, requiring transparent interaction [122-130][158-159].
Speakers: Meirav Zerbib, Nir Dagan
Shared vision for AI‑enabled personalized learning, teacher professional development, and scaling through sandbox pilots Public trust and transparency are non‑negotiable; citizens must know when they interact with AI systems and retain the option for human assistance
Both highlight trust and regulatory standards as foundational for AI rollout [139-155][160-162].
Speakers: Garima Ujjainia, Moderator
Coordinated government effort is required to build standards, guardrails, and market bridges, leveraging India’s large user base as a test‑bed Emphasis that trust is the bedrock for AI adoption; without it, deployment fails
Both see existing institutional structures (AI hub, sandboxes, incubators) as ready platforms that need formal linking to scale Indo‑Israeli cooperation [26-30][139-155].
Speakers: Sanjay Kumar, Garima Ujjainia
Telangana’s AI hub as a state‑level bridge that showcases India’s readiness to partner with Israel on AI Existing joint R&D sandboxes, incubators, and Atal Innovation Mission initiatives need formal bridging to scale collaboration
Unexpected Consensus
Spiritual/ethical framing of AI aligned with technical governance concerns
Speakers: Nir Dagan, Garima Ujjainia, Audience
Positioning India’s spiritual and ethical heritage as a unique contribution to the global AI revolution Coordinated government effort is required to build standards, guardrails, and market bridges, leveraging India’s large user base as a test‑bed A global governance framework and guardrails are essential to prevent misuse of AI and quantum technologies
While Nir frames India’s role in terms of spiritual and ethical heritage, Garima and the Audience focus on concrete governance and guardrails. The convergence of a moral-spiritual narrative with practical regulatory calls was not anticipated but shows a shared recognition of ethical imperatives in AI development [207-213][139-155][217-223].
POLICY CONTEXT (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
Panels on responsible AI stress a values-led approach that blends ethical, even spiritual, considerations with technical safety, as articulated by Virginia Dignum’s ethical framing [S45] and the consensus on human-centred AI principles at the AI-Driven Enforcement symposium [S42]; religious perspectives were highlighted as complementary to technical safeguards [S50].
External audience demand for global AI guardrails matches Indian government’s internal push for standards
Speakers: Audience, Garima Ujjainia
A global governance framework and guardrails are essential to prevent misuse of AI and quantum technologies Coordinated government effort is required to build standards, guardrails, and market bridges, leveraging India’s large user base as a test‑bed
The audience’s call for an internationally accepted framework aligns directly with Garima’s description of India’s own efforts to create standards and bridges, revealing an unexpected alignment between civil-society expectations and governmental action [217-223][139-155].
POLICY CONTEXT (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
Global demand for AI standards is reflected in UN Secretary-General remarks on universal guardrails [S57] and the push for international AI standards in the Global Competition to Govern AI report [S47]; India’s own standards agenda was noted in the AI Future Growth discussion [S46], showing alignment between external expectations and domestic policy.
Overall Assessment

The panel displayed strong consensus on four core pillars: (1) establishing a strategic, early‑stage India‑Israel AI partnership; (2) creating dedicated financial and grant mechanisms to fund joint R&D; (3) ensuring education initiatives keep teachers central and promote personalized learning; (4) embedding trust, transparency and robust governance as non‑negotiable foundations, with India’s large user base positioned as a test‑bed.

High consensus across technical, policy and ethical dimensions, indicating that participants are aligned on both the vision and the concrete mechanisms needed for Indo‑Israeli AI collaboration. This alignment bodes well for translating discussion into joint programmes, funding streams and governance frameworks that can be operationalised in the near term.

Differences
Different Viewpoints
What constitutes India’s unique contribution to the AI partnership – a spiritual/ethical heritage versus technical/financial capacities
Speakers: Nir Dagan, Sanjay Kumar, Victor Gosalker, Meirav Zerbib, Erez Askal
Positioning India’s spiritual and ethical heritage as a unique contribution to the global AI revolution Telangana’s AI hub as a state‑level bridge that showcases India’s readiness to partner with Israel on AI AI can accelerate every stage of the scientific research cycle; propose joint grant programmes and Indian AI services to support Israeli and Indian researchers Shared vision for AI‑enabled personalized learning, teacher professional development, and scaling through sandbox pilots AI partnership as a deep‑value alliance, marking the start of a strategic bilateral relationship
Nir frames India’s role in AI as providing a spiritual and ethical compass that can guide the global AI revolution [207-213], while other speakers stress concrete technical assets – Telangana’s AI hub and funding model [26-30], joint research grants and services [45-51], education sandboxes and teacher development [122-130], and a broader strategic partnership based on shared values [3-5][13-14]. The divergence is about whether the primary contribution is ethical/spiritual or technical/financial.
POLICY CONTEXT (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
Debates on India’s contribution juxtapose ethical heritage with technical assets, mirroring discussions on ethical versus technical AI safety in the Rethinking AI Governance session [S45] and the emphasis on sovereign compute and funding in the India AI Impact Summit [S48]; the AI Future Growth dialogue also foregrounds technical capacity building [S46].
Approach to governance and guardrails for AI and emerging technologies – global framework versus national test‑bed and trust mechanisms
Speakers: Audience, Garima Ujjainia, Nir Dagan
A global governance framework and guardrails are essential to prevent misuse of AI and quantum technologies Coordinated government effort is required to build standards, guardrails, and market bridges, leveraging India’s large user base as a test‑bed Public trust and transparency are non‑negotiable; citizens must know when they interact with AI systems and retain the option for human assistance
The audience calls for an internationally accepted set of standards and guardrails to curb misuse of AI and quantum tech [217-223]. Garima stresses the need for coordinated Indian government action to create standards and use India’s massive user base as a test-bed, noting existing sandboxes and incubators need formal bridges [139-155]. Nir focuses on trust and transparency at the user level, insisting on informing citizens when they interact with AI [207-213]. The disagreement lies in the scale (global vs national) and the primary mechanism (formal standards vs trust/transparent interaction).
POLICY CONTEXT (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
Tensions between global AI governance frameworks and national test-bed approaches are evident in UN calls for universal standards [S57] contrasted with India’s focus on sovereign AI infrastructure and trust mechanisms [S48]; project-governance challenges affecting coordination were discussed at the High-Level Leaders TalkX session [S40] and the value-led institutional response at IGF 2023 [S41].
Perceived speed and coordination of bilateral initiatives – rapid progress versus fragmented implementation
Speakers: Victor Gosalker, Garima Ujjainia
“Scanning Horizon” AI tool used by Israel for strategic foresight; proposes joint monitoring of emerging technologies with India Existing joint R&D sandboxes, incubators, and Atal Innovation Mission initiatives need formal bridging to scale collaboration
Victor announces a fast-moving joint project on the ‘Scanning Horizon’ mechanism, noting that six months after an Indian visit the collaboration is already underway [164-170]. Garima, however, describes many initiatives as fragmented and in need of formal bridges to scale cooperation, implying slower coordination [139-155]. This reflects a disagreement on how quickly effective joint actions are being realized.
POLICY CONTEXT (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
Concerns over coordination speed were raised in the High-Level Leaders TalkX remarks on governance complexity and implementation lag [S40], and the IGF 2023 session noting multilateral action trailing rapid tech advances [S41]; differing timelines in India’s AI roadmap further illustrate fragmented progress [S53].
Unexpected Differences
Emphasis on spiritual/ethical contribution versus technical/financial contributions
Speakers: Nir Dagan, Sanjay Kumar, Victor Gosalker, Meirav Zerbib, Erez Askal
Positioning India’s spiritual and ethical heritage as a unique contribution to the global AI revolution Telangana’s AI hub as a state‑level bridge that showcases India’s readiness to partner with Israel on AI AI can accelerate every stage of the scientific research cycle; propose joint grant programmes and Indian AI services to support Israeli and Indian researchers Shared vision for AI‑enabled personalized learning, teacher professional development, and scaling through sandbox pilots AI partnership as a deep‑value alliance, marking the start of a strategic bilateral relationship
The focus on India as the ‘spiritual capital’ of the world (Nir) was not anticipated given the predominantly technical and economic framing of other participants. This creates an unexpected divergence in what each sees as India’s core value in the partnership.
POLICY CONTEXT (KNOWLEDGE BASE)
The split between ethical/spiritual framing and technical/financial inputs echoes the ethical-technical debate highlighted by Dignum’s safety-to-society argument [S45] and the focus on funding and infrastructure in the India AI Impact Summit [S48]; religious leader perspectives added a moral dimension to the technical discourse [S50].
Overall Assessment

Speakers broadly concur on the importance of deepening India‑Israel AI collaboration, yet they differ on the nature of India’s contribution (spiritual/ethical vs technical/financial), the scale and mechanism for governance and trust (global standards vs national test‑bed and transparency), and the perceived pace of joint initiatives (rapid joint projects vs fragmented existing programmes).

Moderate – while there is consensus on the need for cooperation, the disagreements centre on strategic emphasis and implementation pathways, which could affect the alignment of policies, funding models, and governance structures, potentially slowing coordinated action if not reconciled.

Partial Agreements
All speakers agree that India and Israel should deepen AI collaboration and that such partnership will bring significant benefits. However, they diverge on the primary mechanisms: Erez emphasizes a high‑level strategic alliance; Sanjay Kumar highlights state‑level infrastructure and funding; Victor proposes joint research grants and AI services; Meirav focuses on education sandboxes; Garima calls for formal bridges between existing programmes; Nir stresses trust and transparency; and Sanjay Kadaveru stresses targeting ‘true AI’ startups. The shared goal is cooperation, but the pathways differ.
Speakers: Erez Askal, Sanjay Kumar, Victor Gosalker, Meirav Zerbib, Garima Ujjainia, Nir Dagan, Sanjay Kadaveru
AI partnership as a deep‑value alliance, marking the start of a strategic bilateral relationship Telangana’s AI hub as a state‑level bridge that showcases India’s readiness to partner with Israel on AI AI can accelerate every stage of the scientific research cycle; propose joint grant programmes and Indian AI services to support Israeli and Indian researchers Shared vision for AI‑enabled personalized learning, teacher professional development, and scaling through sandbox pilots Existing joint R&D sandboxes, incubators, and Atal Innovation Mission initiatives need formal bridging to scale collaboration Public trust and transparency are non‑negotiable; citizens must know when they interact with AI systems and retain the option for human assistance Focus on “true AI” startups and launch of AI impact cohorts to fast‑track social impact
Takeaways
Key takeaways
Indo‑Israel AI collaboration is framed as a strategic, values‑based partnership and is still in its early stages. Telangana’s state‑backed AI hub, AI‑fund‑of‑funds and the ‘Scanning Horizon’ mechanism are highlighted as concrete Indian assets that can serve as a bridge to Israel. AI can accelerate every phase of the scientific research cycle; joint grant programmes and Indian AI service platforms are proposed to support researchers in both countries. Social‑impact AI should focus on “true AI” startups that own proprietary data and deep domain expertise; the AI Impact Cohort and the Dristi initiative illustrate how Israeli deep‑tech can be piloted in Indian sectors such as agriculture, health and climate. Education innovation is a shared priority: personalized learning, teacher professional development and sandbox pilots are seen as common ground for scaling AI‑enabled solutions. Digital public infrastructure, public trust and transparency are identified as non‑negotiable prerequisites for any AI deployment; both sides stress the need for guardrails and a global governance framework. Institutional mechanisms such as Israel’s Scanning Horizon, India’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and the proposed Green AI Learning Network (GRAIL) are positioned as platforms for ongoing joint work.
Resolutions and action items
Create joint grant programmes to fund AI‑enabled scientific research projects in India and Israel (proposed by Victor Gosalker). Leverage Telangana’s AI hub and its fund‑of‑funds to co‑finance collaborative AI R&D initiatives (Sanjay Kumar). Scale the AI Impact Cohort and Dristi initiative to bring Israeli deep‑tech startups into Indian incubators such as T‑Hub for pilot deployments (Sanjay Kadaveru). Establish education sandboxes and teacher‑training pipelines through India’s I4F and Atal Innovation Mission, with Israeli ed‑tech partners participating (Garima Ujjainia). Initiate a joint ‘Scanning Horizon’ effort to monitor emerging AI and quantum trends and feed insights into both governments’ strategic planning (Victor Gosalker). Develop the Green AI Learning Network (GRAIL) and consider a dedicated Grail Investment Fund to attract capital for climate‑focused AI startups across Israel, India, the US and Europe (Sanjay Kadaveru). Prepare for the upcoming India‑Israel Prime Ministerial meeting and a delegation from the Indian Ministry of Education to sign a formal AI cooperation agreement (Meirav Zerbib / Moderator). Draft a set of transparency and public‑trust guidelines for AI services, including mandatory disclosure when citizens interact with bots (Nir Dagan, Moderator).
Unresolved issues
The detailed structure, eligibility criteria and administration of the proposed joint research grant programme remain undefined. Specific standards, guardrails and a global governance framework for AI and quantum technologies were called for but no concrete model was agreed upon. How to coordinate multiple ministries, state agencies and private‑sector partners across both countries to avoid fragmentation was not resolved. Timeline, milestones and responsible entities for moving sandbox pilots from framework to market deployment were not specified. Allocation of funding responsibilities and revenue‑sharing mechanisms for joint ventures and pilot projects were not clarified.
Suggested compromises
Build joint solutions from day one rather than a later‑stage partnership, combining Israel’s rapid decision‑making with India’s large talent pool and frugal‑innovation mindset (Sanjay Kadaveru). Use existing sandboxes, incubators and funding mechanisms but channel them through a coordinated government liaison to reduce fragmentation (Garima Ujjainia). Align Israel’s deep‑tech strengths with India’s scale and market size, while also inviting third‑party capital (e.g., US investors) to create a balanced, multi‑partner ecosystem (Sanjay Kadaveru).
Thought Provoking Comments
Telangana is the first Indian state to launch a state‑backed AI hub, with a dedicated fund‑of‑funds focused on AI and IT, positioning the state as a natural partner for Israel’s AI ecosystem.
Introduces a concrete, sub‑national model for international AI collaboration, moving beyond abstract national‑level agreements to actionable regional initiatives.
Shifted the discussion from general partnership rhetoric to specific mechanisms (state‑level hubs, funding structures). It prompted other speakers to consider how existing Indian programs (e.g., NITI Aayog, Atal Innovation Mission) could align with Telangana’s model, and set the stage for later mentions of sandboxes and joint funding.
Speaker: Sanjay Kumar (Special Chief Secretary, IT, Telangana)
AI can be embedded in every stage of the scientific research cycle—question formulation, hypothesis generation, literature review, experimentation—thereby accelerating productivity. Collaboration could involve joint grant programmes and India developing AI services to support researchers in both countries.
Provides a clear, systematic framework for how AI transforms research, and proposes concrete collaborative actions (joint grants, service development).
Opened a new topic on research‑focused AI cooperation, leading Meirav Zerbib and Garima Ujjainia to reference existing education and R&D sandboxes. It also laid groundwork for later discussion on strategic‑planning tools like the ‘Scanning Horizon’ mechanism.
Speaker: Victor Gosalker (Head of Horizon Line Division, Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Israel)
We should focus on ‘true AI startups’—those with proprietary data, deep domain expertise, and solutions that are only possible because of current AI/AGI tools. Our AI Impact Cohort is built on this premise, and initiatives like Dristi connect Israeli deep‑tech startups with Indian partners for pilots.
Refines the selection criteria for impactful AI ventures, moving the conversation from generic AI enthusiasm to a strategic, data‑centric approach. Highlights an existing pipeline (Dristi) that bridges the two ecosystems.
Redirected the panel toward concrete startup‑level collaboration, prompting references to funding mechanisms (fund‑of‑funds) and the need for early‑stage joint development (as later suggested by Sanjay Kumar’s GRAIL idea). It also reinforced the theme of leveraging Israel’s deep‑tech with India’s scale.
Speaker: Sanjay Kadaveru (Founder & Chairman, Action for India)
Teachers are the main agents of change; we need to co‑develop professional development, AI‑integrated curricula, and sandbox frameworks to move from policy to scaling in education for 250 million Indian students versus 2.3 million Israeli students.
Shifts the focus from technology to the human element in education, emphasizing capacity‑building and scalability challenges unique to India while drawing parallels with Israel’s experience.
Steered the conversation toward education implementation, prompting Garima Ujjainia to mention existing sandboxes and the Atal Innovation Mission. It also highlighted the need for teacher‑centric solutions, influencing later remarks about public trust and the role of humans in AI deployment.
Speaker: Meirav Zerbib (Director of R&D, Ministry of Education, Israel)
We already have bridges—sandboxes, R&D collaborations, I4F, Atal Innovation Mission—but the government must coordinate them, pick the right players, and turn fragmented efforts into a unified ecosystem for AI and innovation.
Identifies existing institutional infrastructure and the critical gap of coordination, moving the dialogue from aspirational to implementation‑focused.
Reinforced the earlier points about state‑level initiatives and sandboxes, encouraging the panel to discuss how to operationalise these bridges. It set up the later audience question on governance and the need for a unified framework.
Speaker: Garima Ujjainia (Innovation Lead, NITI Aayog, India)
The AI revolution creates a spiritual crisis—professions are being displaced, but the human spirit, which India has cultivated for millennia, is what AI can never replace. India should bring its spiritual capital to the global AI conversation.
Introduces a philosophical dimension, challenging the purely technical narrative and positioning cultural/spiritual values as a unique contribution from India.
Created a turning point that broadened the scope of the discussion to ethical and existential considerations. It prompted the audience’s concern about global guardrails and led to Nir’s later emphasis on public trust and transparency.
Speaker: Nir Dagan (Head of Innovation, Data & AI, Israel National Digital Agency)
Public trust is the most valuable currency; we must be transparent about AI use, allow users to know when they are interacting with bots, and involve citizens in the development process—even if it slows rollout.
Provides a concrete governance principle in response to audience worries about AI misuse, linking trust to adoption and ethical deployment.
Addressed the audience’s call for global standards and shifted the conversation toward practical governance mechanisms. It reinforced earlier calls for coordinated sandboxes and highlighted the need for transparent policy, influencing the panel’s closing remarks about building trust.
Speaker: Nir Dagan (Head of Innovation, Data & AI, Israel National Digital Agency)
Overall Assessment

The discussion evolved from high‑level diplomatic goodwill to a nuanced roadmap for Indo‑Israeli AI collaboration. Key comments introduced concrete sub‑national initiatives (Telangana’s AI hub), systematic research integration, a refined startup selection framework, and education‑centric implementation strategies. Equally pivotal were the philosophical and governance insights that broadened the dialogue to include ethical, cultural, and trust‑building dimensions. Each of these remarks acted as a catalyst, steering the conversation toward actionable partnerships, highlighting existing institutional bridges, and underscoring the need for coordinated, transparent, and human‑centered AI development.

Follow-up Questions
How can a joint mutual fund grant mechanism be structured to support AI integration in scientific research across Israel and India?
Establishing collaborative funding is essential to enable researchers in both countries to adopt AI throughout the research cycle, accelerating scientific productivity.
Speaker: Victor Gosalker
What specific AI services should be developed in India to support researchers at each stage of the scientific research cycle?
Identifying and building services (e.g., data curation, hypothesis generation, experiment design) will allow Indian and Israeli scientists to leverage AI effectively.
Speaker: Victor Gosalker
How will the ‘Scanning Horizon’ AI‑driven strategic planning collaboration between Israel and India be operationalized, and what are its expected deliverables?
Clarifying the joint mechanism will help both governments monitor emerging technologies, detect weak signals, and inform policy decisions.
Speaker: Victor Gosalker
What is the roadmap for moving AI‑enabled personalized education frameworks from sandbox pilots to nationwide scaling in both countries?
A clear scaling plan is needed to translate successful sandboxes into large‑scale deployments that reach millions of students while ensuring quality and equity.
Speaker: Meirav Zerbib, Garima Ujjainia
How can Indian government agencies (I4F, Atal Innovation Mission, etc.) coordinate to avoid fragmentation and create a unified AI innovation pipeline?
Streamlined coordination will maximize resource use, reduce duplication, and accelerate the translation of research into market‑ready solutions.
Speaker: Garima Ujjainia
What global governance framework and standards are needed for quantum and AI technologies to prevent misuse by rogue actors or governments?
Developing internationally accepted safeguards is critical to ensure safe, ethical deployment of powerful emerging technologies.
Speaker: Audience (question on quantum/AI guardrails)
How can ethical and spiritual dimensions be integrated into AI development to address the ‘spiritual crisis’ posed by automation of professional roles?
Incorporating human‑centric values will help mitigate societal anxiety and ensure AI serves humanity’s deeper needs.
Speaker: Nir Dagan
What are the measurable outcomes and scalability pathways for the Dristi initiative and T‑Hub pilots that connect Israeli deep‑tech startups with Indian partners?
Assessing impact will determine how effectively these collaborations can be expanded and replicated across sectors.
Speaker: Sanjay Kadaveru
How can a joint pipeline of innovation opportunities be built that spans both defense and civilian applications, leveraging the strengths of Israeli and Indian ecosystems?
A structured pipeline will foster cross‑sector technology transfer and maximize the strategic benefits of bilateral cooperation.
Speaker: Sanjay Kadaveru
In what ways can India’s role as a test‑bed for frugal, Gandhian engineering be systematically leveraged to generate globally scalable solutions?
Understanding this model will help export cost‑effective innovations to other emerging markets.
Speaker: Sanjay Kadaveru
Which essential public services should remain human‑centric and not be fully automated by AI in the context of India’s digital public infrastructure?
Identifying services that require human interaction preserves trust and quality in critical sectors like education and healthcare.
Speaker: Nir Dagan
What would be the structure and investment criteria for a joint AI‑focused climate impact fund (e.g., GRAIL Investment Fund) involving India, Israel, and possibly U.S. capital?
A dedicated fund could accelerate early‑stage climate‑AI startups and align capital with strategic sustainability goals.
Speaker: Sanjay Kumar
How can bilateral AI collaborations move from post‑pilot partnerships to co‑development from day one, creating joint products and solutions?
Early co‑creation can shorten time‑to‑market and deepen technological integration between the two ecosystems.
Speaker: Sanjay Kumar
What metrics should be used to evaluate the success of Telangana’s AI hub and its fund‑of‑funds initiative?
Defining clear performance indicators will help assess impact, guide future investments, and justify policy support.
Speaker: Sanjay Kumar
How can Israel’s deep‑tech expertise, India’s large market, and U.S. capital be synergistically combined to develop affordable, globally relevant AI solutions?
A tri‑regional model could leverage complementary strengths to produce scalable, cost‑effective technologies.
Speaker: Sanjay Kumar
What mechanisms can be put in place to ensure transparency, public trust, and opt‑out options when deploying AI‑driven public services?
Building trust is essential for public acceptance and successful adoption of AI applications.
Speaker: Nir Dagan
How can minority cultural and ethnic groups be represented in the creation of global AI and quantum standards to ensure inclusive governance?
Inclusive standards will help prevent marginalization and ensure that AI benefits are equitably distributed.
Speaker: Audience (question on minority guardianship)

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