Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday presented his “MANAV Vision” for artificial intelligence while addressing global leaders at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
Speaking at Bharat Mandapam, Modi outlined a governance framework aimed at ensuring AI development remains ethical, inclusive and aligned with national interests.
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What Is the MANAV Vision?
According to the Prime Minister’s address, “MANAV” represents five foundational principles for AI governance:
M – Moral and Ethical System
A – Accountable Governance
N – National Sovereignty
A – Accessible and Inclusive
V – Valid and Legitimate
Through this framework, Modi positioned India’s AI approach as human-centric and development-oriented.
‘We Must Democratise AI’
Emphasising inclusivity, the Prime Minister said artificial intelligence must be accessible to all nations, particularly emerging economies.
“We must democratise AI. It must become a medium for inclusion and empowerment, particularly for the Global South,” he said.
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He added that while some countries approach AI with apprehension, India sees opportunity.
“Some people see fear in AI, but India sees fortune and future in it,” Modi said.
AI as a Historic Turning Point
Drawing parallels with transformative moments in human civilisation, Modi described artificial intelligence as a defining force of the current era.
“There have been certain turning points that have shaped entire countries. These turning points set the direction of civilisation and transform the pace of development. Artificial intelligence is one such transformation in history,” he said.
According to him, AI is not merely about machines becoming intelligent but about enhancing human capability.
“AI is making machines intelligent and, at the same time, it is multiplying human capabilities many times over,” he said.
“The real question today is not what AI can do, but what humans can do with it.”
Global Tech Leaders Join Summit
The five-day summit, held from February 16 to 20, has brought together policymakers, industry leaders, academicians and civil society representatives to advance global AI cooperation.
Modi was joined by leading figures from the global technology ecosystem, including Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet Inc.; Sam Altman of OpenAI; Alexandr Wang; Dario Amodei of Anthropic; and representatives from Meta.
The summit is structured around three core pillars, or ‘Sutras’: People, Planet and Progress — signalling an effort to align AI innovation with sustainable development goals.
