French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed that he will visit India in February to participate in the AI Impact Summit, a major global event focused on the future of artificial intelligence and its role in inclusive and responsible development. The summit is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on February 19–20 and will mark the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.

President Macron made the announcement while addressing members of the Diplomatic Corps, during which he reflected on the achievements of French diplomacy in 2025. Highlighting the growing international momentum around artificial intelligence, Macron recalled the success of the AI summit held in Paris last year and underscored the importance of continued collaboration with India.

“Let’s finally look at what we have managed to achieve together, the successes of French diplomacy last year—the Artificial Intelligence summit. The whole world came to Paris. We made progress on this, and we co-chaired it with Prime Minister Modi, and next month, I’ll be in India to follow up,” Macron said.

The forthcoming visit has also been acknowledged by India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who earlier indicated that New Delhi was expecting President Macron soon. During his recent meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Jaishankar emphasised that India and France are deeply engaged on the global stage and share a commitment to multipolarity. He noted that cooperation between the two nations is crucial not only for strengthening bilateral relations but also for contributing to stability in global politics.

Earlier, Jaishankar met President Macron in Paris, where the two leaders reaffirmed the strength of the India–France strategic partnership and exchanged views on contemporary global developments amid ongoing geopolitical and economic transitions. In a post on social media platform X, Jaishankar said he conveyed warm wishes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and appreciated Macron’s perspectives and positive sentiments toward the bilateral partnership.

India and France enjoy a long-standing and multifaceted strategic partnership encompassing defence, space cooperation, civil nuclear energy, clean energy initiatives, and collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region. The AI Impact Summit is expected to add a new and significant dimension to this partnership, particularly in the fast-evolving domain of artificial intelligence governance and innovation.

The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 was formally announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the France AI Action Summit. The event aims to bring together global leaders, policymakers, technology experts, startups, and civil society representatives to discuss ethical, inclusive, and development-oriented approaches to artificial intelligence.

Ahead of the summit, Prime Minister Modi chaired a roundtable discussion with Indian AI startups at his official residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. During the interaction, he urged startups to ensure that AI models developed in India are ethical, unbiased, transparent, and firmly rooted in data privacy principles. He also encouraged innovators to position India as a global leader in affordable, inclusive, and frugal AI solutions.

Prime Minister Modi highlighted the transformative potential of artificial intelligence across sectors and stressed that India has a unique opportunity to shape global AI norms that balance innovation with responsibility.

President Macron’s visit for the AI Impact Summit is expected to further cement India–France cooperation in shaping the global AI agenda while reinforcing their broader strategic partnership.