Keynote-Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani
19 Feb 2026 11:00h - 11:15h
Keynote-Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani
Summary
The Global AI Impact Summit in India was presented as a pivotal moment for the country’s technology agenda, with AI positioned as the engine for achieving a “Vixit Bharat” – a fully developed nation by 2047 [3-5]. Mukesh Ambani argued that, if harnessed wisely, AI could usher in an era of superabundance, eliminating poverty and delivering prosperity for all 8 billion people [9-10]. He framed the global debate as a choice between AI concentrating power in the hands of a few versus democratizing opportunity for everyone, contrasting a future of scarce, expensive AI with one that is affordable and universally beneficial [18-22][25-26]. Ambani highlighted India’s unique strengths – a massive, youthful population, world-leading digital infrastructure, the largest mobile data consumption, 1.4 billion Aadhaar IDs, a high-volume UPI system, and a vibrant startup ecosystem – as foundations for AI leadership [30-39].
He announced that Jio will transition from connecting India to the internet era to connecting it to the “intelligence era,” delivering AI services to every citizen, sector and government service with the same affordability that transformed connectivity [43-49]. Jio also pledged a 10 lakh-crore, seven-year investment aimed at patient, nation-building capital rather than short-term valuation gains [50-53]. To address the primary constraint of compute scarcity, Jio Intelligence will build sovereign infrastructure through gigawatt-scale data centers, a green-energy surplus of up to 10 GW, and a nationwide edge-compute layer integrated with Jio’s network [57-64].
The rollout will be guided by five principles, including AI for deep-tech manufacturing, multilingual capability across all Indian languages, security and data residency, job creation rather than displacement, and ecosystem partnership with academia and industry [69-78]. Concrete applications already underway include the Jio Shikshak AI teaching assistant in 22 languages, Jio Arogya AI for rapid medical guidance, Jio Krishi AI delivering voice-first weather advice to 140 million farmers, and GeoBharat IQ as a voice-first companion for everyday services [88-95]. Ambani emphasized that the summit’s massive response demonstrates AI’s emergence as a people’s movement that depends on global cooperation rather than polarization [99-102]; he positioned India as a bridge linking the Global South and North, arguing that shared technology can unite disparate regions toward a single future [103-104]. The address concluded with a collective pledge to combine intelligence with empathy, using AI to build a better future for all humanity [105-107].
Keypoints
Major discussion points
– A bold vision for AI as a catalyst for a prosperous, inclusive “Vixit Bharat” and a model for the Global South – AI is framed as a technology that can create “superabundance” and eradicate poverty, while the summit debates whether AI will concentrate power or democratize opportunity, and pledges India’s commitment to the latter future[4-10][18-26].
– Three flagship announcements from Jio/Reliance – (1) delivering “intelligence” to every citizen at data-cost pricing, (2) a 10 lakh crore, seven-year, nation-building investment, and (3) building sovereign compute infrastructure to overcome the scarcity and high cost of AI compute[42-58].
– Construction of a sovereign, green, edge-centric compute ecosystem – Plans for multi-gigawatt AI-ready data centers in Jamnagar, leveraging up to 10 GW of surplus green power and a nationwide edge-compute layer tightly integrated with Jio’s network[58-65].
– Five non-negotiable principles and an ecosystem-building strategy – Emphasis on deep-tech leadership, multilingual AI for all Indian languages, security and data residency, job creation, and partnership with Indian enterprises, academia, and global tech leaders[69-87].
– AI-driven applications targeting inclusive development – Deployments such as Jio Shikshak (multilingual AI tutor), Jio Arogya AI (rapid medical guidance), Jio Krishi (voice-first advisory for 140 million farmers), GeoBharat IQ (AI companion for everyday services), and cultural initiatives like GeoHotStar to amplify India’s soft power[88-97].
Overall purpose / goal
The summit is positioned as a historic launchpad for India’s AI agenda: to proclaim AI as a national priority for achieving a fully developed “Vixit Bharat” by 2047, to announce massive public-private investments and infrastructure that will make India a leading AI power, and to rally global cooperation around an inclusive, sovereign AI ecosystem[5][28][105].
Tone of the discussion
– Opening – Reverent and ceremonial, greeting the audience and honoring the Prime Minister[3-5].
– Visionary and aspirational – Describing AI as a transformative force that can bring “superabundance” and eradicate poverty[9-10].
– Confident and assertive – Bold predictions of India becoming a top AI power and showcasing past digital achievements[27-34].
– Promotional and decisive – Detailed announcements of investments, cost-reduction pledges, and infrastructure plans, delivered with a tone of certainty and national pride[42-58].
– Inclusive and collaborative – Emphasis on multilingual inclusion, job creation, partnership ecosystems, and a call for global cooperation, ending on an optimistic, unifying note[101-106].
Overall, the tone shifts from formal inauguration to visionary optimism, then to concrete, assertive rollout, and finally to a collaborative, hopeful appeal for worldwide partnership.
Speakers
– Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani
– Area of Expertise: Business, industry [S1]
– Role/Title: Business leader; also served as moderator for the keynote [S2]
– Speaker 1
– Area of Expertise: (not specified) [S3]
– Role/Title: Event host / moderator introducing the main speaker [S3][S5]
Additional speakers:
– (None identified beyond the listed speakers)
The summit opened with a brief ceremonial welcome from the host, who introduced Mr Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani to the audience and highlighted the significance of the event for “services impacting millions of lives” [1-2]. Ambani greeted the nation, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the “guide, philosopher and leader” of the summit and commended Minister Sri Vaishnav and his team for organising a gathering that matches India’s ambition [5-7], and framed the Global AI Impact Summit as a watershed moment in India’s technological trajectory, describing AI as the engine that will drive the country toward a “Vixit Bharat” – a fully developed nation by the centenary of independence in 2047 [4-5].
He argued that, if harnessed wisely, AI can create a state of “superabundance”, eliminating poverty and delivering prosperity to all eight billion people on the planet [9-10][18-22][25-26]. The central moral dilemma, he said, is whether AI will concentrate power in the hands of a few or democratise opportunity for everyone, and asserted that India chooses the inclusive path.
To substantiate India’s capacity to lead, Ambani listed the country’s digital foundations: it is the world’s largest mobile-data consumer with nearly one billion internet users and among the lowest data-cost rates, a universal digital ID system (Aadhaar) covering 1.4 billion people, and the UPI platform processing over 12 billion transactions each month [32-38]. He noted that India ranks among the top three global startup ecosystems, hosting around 100 000 startups and more than 100 unicorns, and that Jio has been instrumental in delivering broadband, 4G, 5G and home connectivity to over 500 million subscribers [39-41].
Building on this foundation, Ambani made a bold geopolitical prediction: India will emerge as one of the world’s greatest AI powers in the 21st century, a claim he justified by pointing to the nation’s demographic energy, democratic framework, rapid development, extensive digital infrastructure, massive data generation and AI-harvest potential [27-31].
He then announced three flagship initiatives. First, Jio will shift from “connecting India to the internet era” to “connecting India to the AI-era”, delivering AI services to every citizen, sector and government function with the same reliability, scale and extreme affordability that transformed connectivity [43-49]. Second, Reliance and Jio will invest ₹10 trillion (10 lakh crore rupees) over the next seven years, describing the funding as patient, disciplined, nation-building capital rather than a speculative valuation-chasing exercise [50-53]. Third, Jio Intelligence will create a sovereign compute ecosystem comprising gigawatt-scale AI-ready data centres (with an initial 120 MW in Jamnagar slated for 2026), up to 10 GW of surplus green power from solar assets in Kach and Andhra Pradesh, and a nationwide edge-compute layer tightly integrated with Jio’s telecom network to provide low-latency, affordable intelligence at the point of use [54-65].
Ambani outlined five non-negotiable principles that will guide the AI rollout:
1. AI will be a catalyst for deep-tech and advanced manufacturing, extending beyond large enterprises to agriculture, small businesses and the informal sector. [69-71]
2. India will deliver world-leading multilingual AI covering all Indian languages to ensure inclusion. [72-74]
3. Responsibility, security, data-residency and trust will be embedded as core guarantees. [75-77]
4. AI will create high-skill jobs rather than eliminate them. [78]
5. AI-driven employment opportunities will be generated at scale for the Indian workforce. [79-81]
Jio will embed AI across manufacturing, logistics, energy, finance, retail, agriculture and healthcare to accelerate productivity, leveraging a partnership ecosystem that includes Indian enterprises, startups, IITs, IISc and global technology leaders as co-architects [82-87].
Concrete applications already under development illustrate AI’s social relevance. “Jio Shikshak” is an adaptive teaching assistant operating in 22 languages for roughly 250 million schoolchildren and 50 million higher-education students [88-90]. “Jio Arogya” provides first-line medical guidance in local languages within five minutes on any phone [91-92]. “Jio Krishi” converts satellite imagery into voice-first weather and advisory services for about 140 million farmers, aiming to raise agricultural incomes [92-94]. The “GeoBharat IQ” voice-first companion assists Indians in learning, earning and accessing government services at scale, while forthcoming devices such as AI-glass frames, wearables and the “GeoHotStar” platform will amplify Indian cultural storytelling globally [95-97].
Ambani used the summit’s massive response to argue that AI is evolving into a “people’s movement” that can only succeed through global cooperation rather than polarisation [98-102]. He positioned India as a vital bridge linking the Global South and the Global North, urging shared stewardship of AI resources-chips, rare earths and data-through collaboration, not hoarding [103-104].
The address concluded with a collective pledge to combine intelligence with empathy, to harness AI as a tool for building a better future for all humanity, and a final expression of thanks to the participants [105-108].
services impacting millions of lives. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani.
Distinguished guests, my fellow Indians, namaste. The Global AI Impact Summit is a defining moment in India’s tech history. A moment when India pledges to make AI one of the driving forces to realize its dream of a Vixit Bharat, the dream of becoming a fully developed nation by 2047, the glorious centenary of our independence. We are deeply honored that our most respected Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, is the guide, philosopher and leader of this summit. Honorable Minister Sri Vaishnav and his wonderful team deserve full praise for organizing this summit on a grand scale befitting India’s ambition. Modiji’s vision of AI -powered Vixit Bharat is also a template for a Vixit Global South. If wisely used, I believe AI can usher in an era of superabundance.
A world without poverty and a future of prosperity for all the 8 billion people on our beautiful planet is now within sight, within reach. Friends, artificial intelligence is a technology that can be used to create It is not just another technology. For the first time, we are going to create a new technology Humans are creating human -like systems that can learn, speak, analyze, move, and produce autonomously. AI is the mantra that powers every yantra or every machine and system to work faster, better, and smarter. I see AI as a modern -day Akshay Patra, the legendary vessel in Mahabharata that provided endless nourishment to all. Likewise, AI offers limitless augmentation in knowledge, efficiency, and productivity. We are only at the dawn of this era.
The best of AI is yet to come. Distinguished participants in this summit, today the world is debating a profound question. Will AI concentrate power in the hands of a few or will it democratize opportunity for all? Do we act as isolated nations or as a united global family? Our polarized world stands at a fork. One path has led to a situation where AI is scarce and expensive. Compute is concentrated, data is controlled, and capability is locked behind barriers of capital and geography in the global north. In this dismal scenario, inequality widens between nations within societies and across generations. But there is another path, a future where AI is available, affordable, and beneficial to all. As our Prime Minister said, India believes in this second future.
Dear friends, from the podium of this summit today, I want to make a bold prediction. India will emerge as one of the greatest AI powers in the world in the 21st century. My confidence is validated by an undeniable truth. In the coming decades, no country in the world can match India’s strength in demography, democracy, development, digital infrastructure, data generation, AI harvest. Let me begin, as was said many times this morning, what India has achieved in the past 10 years. First, India is the world’s largest mobile data consumer. Nearly 1 billion internet users. Data costs are higher than the world’s largest mobile data consumer. Among the lowest globally and in terms of quality, there is no difference between Delhi and the remotest Indian village.
Second, Aadhaar, 1 .4 billion digital IDs. Third, UPI processes over 12 billion transactions monthly. Fourth, India ranks among the top three startup ecosystems with 100 ,000 startups and 100 plus unicorns. Fifth, India’s secure and inclusive digital public infrastructure stack is now being adopted by countries around the globe. Friends, in all humility, I wish to state that Jio, with over 500 million loyal subscribers, was privileged to play a leading role in this transformation across broadband, 4G, 5G and home connectivity. With equal humility, I would like to announce that Jio will play an even bigger role in India’s AI transformation. Today, on behalf of the Reliance Group and Jio Intelligence, I want to make three announcements. Announcement 1. Jio connected India to the internet era.
Jio will now connect India to the intelligence era. We will deliver intelligence to every citizen, every sector of the economy, and every facet of social development and every service of government. Jio will do so with the same reliability, quality, scale, and extreme affordability that transformed connectivity. India cannot afford to rent intelligence. Therefore, we will reduce the cost of intelligence as dramatically as we can. We will deliver intelligence to every citizen, every sector of the economy, and every facet the cost of data. Announcement 2. Jio together with Reliance will invest 10 lakh crores over the next 7 years starting this year. This is not speculative investment. It is not for chasing valuation. This is patient, disciplined, nation -building capital designed to create durable economic value and strategic resilience for decades to come.
Distinguished participants, the biggest constraint in AI today is not talent or imagination. It is scarcity and high cost of compute. Therefore, here is my third announcement. Jio Intelligence will build India’s sovereign compute infrastructure through three bold initiatives. One, gigawatt -scale data centers. We already started construction on multi -gigawatt AI -ready data centers at Jamnagar. Over 120 megawatts will come online in the second half of 2026 this year and a clear path to gigawatt -scale compute for training and large -scale inference. Two, our green energy advantage. We have an in -house energy advantage with up to 10 gigawatts of ready green power surplus anchored by solar in both Kach and Andhra Pradesh. Three, a nationwide edge compute. An edge compute layer deeply integrated with Jio’s network will make intelligence responsive, low latency and affordable, close to where Indians live, learn, and work.
From kirana stores to clinics, from classrooms to farms, intelligence will live at the edge. Our resolve is clear. Make intelligence as ubiquitous as connectivity. When compute becomes infrastructure, innovation will become inevitable. Friends, geo -intelligence is guided by five non -negotiable principles. First, AI for India’s deep tech and advanced manufacturing leadership. Reaching not just large enterprises but agriculture, small businesses and the informal sector. Geo -intelligence will not simply be a search or an ask tool. It will primarily be a resource for multiplying productivity and efficiency. Thank you. Second, world leading multilingual AI capability across all Indian languages. When farmers and artisans speak to AI in their own words and students learn in their own mother tongue, this is not convenience, this is inclusion.
Jio AI Bharat ki bhasha mein bolega, Bharat ki sanskriti mein phulega, aur Bharat ki mitti mein phalega. Third, responsibility, security, data residency and trust as Jio’s core guarantees, not afterthought. Fourth, we will prove that AI does not take away jobs. Rather, it will create new high -skill work opportunities. And fifth, the AI system will not only provide jobs for the people, but also provide jobs for the people. Our story has shifted from who has the best model to who can build the strongest ecosystem for speed and scale of usage. Therefore, we will build deep partnership ecosystem with Indian enterprises, startups, IIT, IISC and research institutions. We will work shoulder to shoulder with India’s leading industrial groups to embed AI across manufacturing, logistics, energy, finance, retail, agriculture and healthcare.
We will empower startups with affordable compute and co -development platforms. We will aspire to produce global breakthroughs in compute architecture, foundation models and energy efficiency, designed in India, rooted in our values, powered by our talent and scaled for humanity. And we will partner with the very best tech companies in the world, not as importers of intelligence, but as co -architects of a new AI century. Dear friends, I believe that social relevance, not momentary craze, should drive AI growth in India. Jio has already started AI applications for the most pressing challenges in inclusive development. In education, we have Jio Shikshak, an adaptive AI teaching assistant in 22 languages. When 250 million school children and 50 million students in higher education are empowered by AI, teachers no power on earth can match India’s talent wealth.
In healthcare, Jio Arogya AI delivering first medical guidance in under five minutes in local languages on any phone. In agriculture, Jio Krishi converting satellite imagery and programming AI into a new technology. Precision weather into simple voice -first advice to 140 million farmers to help improve their income. In everyday life, GeoBharat IQ, a voice -first AI companion, helping Indians learn, earn, and access government services at Bharat scale. From wearables to fully connected homes, geo -frames, an AI glass device, and next -generation AI devices will make intelligence truly ambient, as effortless and as natural as human conversations. Through GeoHotStar, AI will multiply Indian creativity with multilingual storytelling. We will popularize India’s rich cultural heritage with futuristic technology, enhancing India’s soft power globally.
Friends, this inaugural global AI impact summit in India has received a massive response. What does that show? It shows that AI is now becoming a people’s movement worldwide. The success of this movement hinges critically on global cooperation and not polarization. Be it chips or rare earths, AI works its magic through sharing, not hoarding, through collaborations, not conflicts. The unique strength of India is that India serves as the vital bridge connecting the global south and the global north. After all, south or north, east or west, all of us have only one earth, one family and one future. Today, at this summit, let us all pledge to transform this noble aspiration into reality using the most powerful gift of the human mind, AI.
Let us combine intelligence with empathy and let us build a better future for all. Thank you. Jai Hind.
Thank you so much.
“AI can create a state of “superabundance”, eliminating poverty and delivering prosperity to all eight billion people on the planet”
The keynote by Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani explicitly states that a world without poverty and a future of prosperity for all 8 billion people is now within sight, confirming the claim [S2].
“India will emerge as one of the world’s greatest AI powers in the 21st century”
The same bold prediction appears in the knowledge base, where Ambani declares that India will become one of the greatest AI powers in the 21st century [S27].
“India ranks among the top three global startup ecosystems, hosting around 100 000 startups and more than 100 unicorns”
The knowledge base notes that India has about 110 unicorns, supporting the “more than 100 unicorns” figure, and describes India’s startup ecosystem as one of the largest globally, often placed in the top three or four [S17] and [S77].
“The central moral dilemma of AI is whether it will concentrate power in the hands of a few or democratise opportunity for everyone, and India chooses the inclusive path”
Other sources discuss the ethical choice between concentrating AI power versus inclusive governance, emphasizing democratic frameworks and safeguards, which adds nuance to Ambani’s framing of the dilemma [S14] and [S75].
The only clear points of agreement between the two speakers are ceremonial: a mutual welcome at the opening and a shared expression of thanks at the close. No substantive policy or technical consensus emerges because Speaker 1’s contributions are limited to opening and closing remarks, whereas Ambani’s speech covers a wide range of AI‑related arguments.
Low – consensus is confined to procedural courtesies, implying that while the summit’s tone is collaborative, substantive alignment on AI strategy will need to be built through further stakeholder dialogue.
The transcript shows virtually no substantive conflict: the only substantive speaker (Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani) delivers a unified vision of AI for inclusive growth, while the host (Speaker 1) merely welcomes and thanks the participants. Consequently, there are no clear points of contention.
Minimal disagreement – the dialogue is highly aligned, suggesting strong consensus on the summit’s purpose and on AI as a catalyst for India’s development. This alignment reinforces a cohesive narrative for policy advocacy and investment in AI.
The speech is structured around a series of pivotal statements that each redirect the conversation’s focus—first framing AI as a moral crossroads, then asserting India’s strategic ambition, followed by concrete financial and infrastructural commitments, and finally embedding those actions within a set of ethical principles and a global cooperation narrative. These thought‑provoking comments act as turning points that transform the monologue from a generic promotional address into a layered roadmap, moving the audience from abstract optimism to concrete expectations, and from national pride to a vision of inclusive, collaborative AI development.
Disclaimer: This is not an official session record. DiploAI generates these resources from audiovisual recordings, and they are presented as-is, including potential errors. Due to logistical challenges, such as discrepancies in audio/video or transcripts, names may be misspelled. We strive for accuracy to the best of our ability.
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