Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for Electronics and IT, reportedly apologised on Tuesday (February 17) to everyone who got stuck in the crowds or faced trouble and hassles on the first day of the AI Impact Summit 2026, which took place at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. He admitted that things got a bit chaotic but did sound positive about the footfall. He stated that the number of people who tried attending the AI summit shows how much India cares about artificial intelligence right now.
70,000 attendees showed up on 1.
- More than 70,000 people showed up on day one. Vaishnaw said that makes it one of the biggest AI events anywhere.
- People have complained online about long lines and packed halls, but he called the response "phenomenal".
- He mentioned the buzz among visitors, dignitaries and exhibitors. He also said that they have fixed a lot of issues since yesterday, and things are running more smoothly now.
Here are the issues which got highlighted by the attendees at the AI Summit.
Major issues on day-1 at AI Impact Summit
1. Founders reported about stolen wearables during evacuation: Dhananjay Yadav, co-founder and CEO of Neo Sapien, showed up ready to demo his startup’s AI wearable. But he did not expect the sudden evacuation just before the arrival of PM Modi to kick off the summit.
“The first day turned into a mess,” Yadav said. He claims the wearables they left in their booth disappeared during the security sweep.
On his X-post, he wrote, "We paid for flights, hotels, logistics, even the booth itself, and then our devices vanished in what’s supposed to be a high-security area,” he wrote. He didn’t hide his frustration, calling it “extremely disappointing".
2. Startup founders waited outside for hours without an update after evacuation: Punit Jain, who founded Reskill, shared the same frustration. Exhibitors, founders, and guests all waited outside for hours with no updates.
“If they only wanted select guests inside, they should have told us upfront." "This isn’t how India should build its AI future,” he said. The first day felt messy and left people out.
3. Technical glitches like mobile network issues, Wi-Fi connectivity issues, and more: Priyanshu Ratnakar, another entrepreneur, felt the summit was more about appearances than actually working. In his post, he stated that exhibitors being locked out of their stalls, spotty Wi-Fi and mobile service, and registration problems were major points of concern.
The government set up war room at the venue
To keep things under control, the government set up a special “war room” at the venue. Vaishnaw told reporters that his team is working around the clock to tackle problems as they come up and to make sure everyone has a better experience. He encouraged people to speak up and share feedback—they’re aiming to make things smoother and more enjoyable for everyone.
World’s biggest AI gatherings in India
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 has quickly become one of the world’s biggest AI gatherings, pulling in industry leaders, policymakers, startups, and students from everywhere. The early hiccups haven’t slowed anyone down. If anything, the huge crowd just proves India’s growing influence in the global conversation on artificial intelligence and innovation.
