AI Impact Summit 2026 extended by a day; Event now open till February 21

The AI Impact Summit 2026, currently underway at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, has been extended by one more day after witnessing a massive turnout from visitors, startups, and global delegates. The government confirmed that the event will now continue till February 21, instead of wrapping up on February 20 as originally planned. Expo timings have also been stretched to 8 PM, giving attendees more time to explore the exhibition floors. The decision comes after registrations crossed impressive numbers.  Also Read: India to train 15000 creators in AI: Collaboration with Google and YouTube

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed that over three lakh people registered for the summit, while nearly 2.5 lakh visitors, many under 30, have already walked through the exhibition area. In fact, registrations had to be temporarily paused due to limited on-site capacity, signalling just how strong the interest has been. Also Read: Big win for India! OpenAI to open new offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru in 2026

The minister also acknowledged the crowd-related challenges seen on the opening day and assured that feedback is being actively considered to improve the experience for attendees. Also Read: AI Impact Summit: What is MANAV Vision? PM Modi’s five-point framework for AI explained

Public closure on February 19: Here’s why

While the summit has been extended, there is one important update for visitors. The expo will remain closed to the public on February 19 due to VIP movement at the venue. However, organisers confirmed that all sessions scheduled for the day will be live-streamed, allowing people to tune in virtually. The exhibition floors will reopen for public access on February 20 and 21.

All about AI Impact Summit

Inaugurated on February 16th this week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the summit has witnessed participation from delegates across roughly 45 countries, alongside major tech firms, policymakers, researchers, and startups. The summit features 300+ curated exhibition pavilions, 600 high-potential startups, and 13 country pavilions, spread over 70,000 square metres.

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There are several business moguls from the tech industry who are attending the AI Summit, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Reliance Industries chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani. Moreover, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman are also in the list.