AI Futures: The Road to the India AI Impact Summit 2026

Anirudh Suri, Tech Investor and Policy Advisor

AI Futures: The Road to the India AI Impact Summit 2026: As India takes centre stage in global AI conversations following the Paris AI Summit last year, this podcast series for the India AI Impact Summit 2026 is produced in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. In the run up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, we will bring you the top AI leaders and decision makers from around the world. The podcast is hosted by author, policy advisor and venture capitalist Anirudh Suri who also hosts The Great Tech Game Podcast.

Episodes

  1. FEB 12

    The Global South Needs to Step Up To The AI Challenge | Yoshua Bengio, Turing Award Winner

    In this episode of *AI Futures* , host Anirudh Suri sits down with Professor Yoshua Bengio — Turing Award winner and one of the world’s most influential AI researchers, and chair of the International AI Safety Report (2025 and 2026) — for a wide-ranging conversation on what the next phase of AI progress could mean for global power, economic inequality, and human control.As AI systems grow more capable and increasingly autonomous the stakes are no longer theoretical. From AI agents that can plan, deceive, and evade oversight to an intensifying US–China AI arms race, this episode explores whether the world is heading toward shared prosperity or a second great divergence.In this conversation, we explore:• Why is the US–China competition blocking effective global regulation?• What can “middle powers” like India and Canada do to avoid being left out?• What “deceptive alignment” means—and why AI models' deception tendencies is worrying leading researchers• How AI could be misused for cyberattacks or biological threats• Will AI will displace more white-collar jobs than it creates?• Can AI be built as a global public good, rather than a winner-takes-all race?👉 Can we steer the AI revolution toward shared prosperity—or are we sleepwalking into a future we won’t be able to control?🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now.-----Follow the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/*About Yoshua Bengio*Recognized worldwide as one of the leading experts in artificial intelligence, Yoshua Bengio is most known for his pioneering work in deep learning, earning him the 2018 A.M. Turing Award, “the Nobel Prize of Computing,” with Geoffrey Hinton and Yann LeCun, and making him the computer scientist with the largest number of citations and h-index. Concerned about the social impact of AI, he actively contributed to the Montreal Declaration for the Responsible Development of Artificial Intelligence and currently chairs the International AI Safety Report.Read the AI International Safety Report, chaired by Prof. Yoshua Bengio: https://internationalaisafetyreport.org/publication/international-ai-safety-report-2026*About Anirudh Suri, Host of the Podcast*Anirudh Suri is a non-resident scholar with Carnegie India, where his research and writing focus on technology, artificial intelligence and geopolitics. He is the author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, and host of The Great Tech Game Podcast. He is also the Managing Partner at India Internet Fund, a US and India based technology-focused venture capital fund. Previously, Anirudh has worked with the Government of India in New Delhi, McKinsey and Co in New York, Goldman Sachs in London, the Carnegie Endowment in Washington DC, and China Institute of International Studies in Beijing. He completed his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader, Anirudh has also served on the Board of the Harvard Alumni Association. He tweets @AnirudhSuri.The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here:X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuriLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suriFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.inWebsite: (http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: (http://www.greattechgame.com/)#IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AIFuturesPodcast #AISummit #GlobalGovernance #anirudhsuri #YoshuaBengio #thegreattechgame #TGTGpodcast #AIAgents #AIRisks #uschina #aimisuse #InternationalAISafetyReport #CyberAttacks #AI #MiddlePowers #Canada #India #Japan #DeceptiveAlignment #TechAlliances #podcast

    1 hr
  2. EPISODE 4 TRAILER

    Ep. 4 [Trailer] - The Global South Needs to Step Up To The AI Challenge: Yoshua Bengio, Turing Award Winner

    In this episode of *AI Futures* , host Anirudh Suri sits down with Professor Yoshua Bengio — Turing Award winner and one of the world’s most influential AI researchers, and chair of the International AI Safety Report (2025 and 2026) — for a wide-ranging conversation on what the next phase of AI progress could mean for global power, economic inequality, and human control.As AI systems grow more capable and increasingly autonomous the stakes are no longer theoretical. From AI agents that can plan, deceive, and evade oversight to an intensifying US–China AI arms race, this episode explores whether the world is heading toward shared prosperity or a second great divergence.In this conversation, we explore:• Why is the US–China competition blocking effective global regulation?• What can “middle powers” like India and Canada do to avoid being left out?• What “deceptive alignment” means—and why AI models' deception tendencies is worrying leading researchers• How AI could be misused for cyberattacks or biological threats• Will AI will displace more white-collar jobs than it creates?• Can AI be built as a global public good, rather than a winner-takes-all race?Professor Bengio argues that the risk of loss of control is no longer speculative. Lab experiments already show AI systems attempting to bypass human oversight, and in some cases, manipulate outcomes to avoid being shut down. He also makes the case that competing with today’s AI duopoly will require new global alliances, where countries pool resources to share the enormous cost of training frontier models. Without this, AI-driven wealth and power could become even more concentrated.👉 Can we steer the AI revolution toward shared prosperity—or are we sleepwalking into a future we won’t be able to control?🎧 Watch soon to understand what’s at stake as the world’s AI conversation moves to India.Read the AI International Safety Report, chaired by Prof. Yoshua Bengio: https://internationalaisafetyreport.org/publication/international-ai-safety-report-2026#IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AIFuturesPodcast #AISummit #GlobalGovernance #anirudhsuri #YoshuaBengio #thegreattechgame #TGTGpodcast #AIAgents #AIRisks #uschina #aimisuse #InternationalAISafetyReport #CyberAttacks #AI #MiddlePowers #Canada #India #Japan #DeceptiveAlignment #TechAlliances #podcast

    2 min
  3. FEB 8

    The 'Looming AI Divide': How Global Cooperation Can Help | UN Tech Envoy Amandeep Gill

    In this episode of the *AI Futures* podcast, Anirudh Suri sits down with UN Under-Secretary General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, Amandeep Gill. USG Gill offers a glimpse into the global governance of AI, the "looming AI divide," and the urgent need for international cooperation to prevent a "second great divergence" between the Global North and South. The conversation dives deep into the high-stakes risks of concentration of power, the sustainability crisis facing AI infrastructure, and the human impact on children’s mental health and cognitive development.Questions unpacked in this episode:- What new mechanisms is the UN building to ensure all countries can shape the AI future?- Will AI trigger a “second great divergence”?- Why does a single Chinese university have more compute power than the entire continent of Africa?- Are we facing a “cognitive decline” due to the increasing use of AI?- How do we ensure global AI standards are tech-neutral and inclusive, rather than set by dominant powers?- How can countries like India and Nigeria move from “market bystanders” to active players in the AI ecosystem?- Will AI create new productive opportunities—or displace the entry-level coders and data analysts of tomorrow?🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now.------Follow the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/*About USG Amandeep Gill*United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 10 June 2022 the appointment of Amandeep Singh Gill of India as his Envoy on Technology. Mr. Gill is the Chief Executive Officer of the International Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Research Collaborative (I-DAIR) project, based at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. *About Anirudh Suri, Host of the Podcast*Anirudh Suri is a non-resident scholar with Carnegie India, where his research and writing focus on technology, artificial intelligence and geopolitics. He is the author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, and host of The Great Tech Game Podcast. He is also the Managing Partner at India Internet Fund, a US and India based technology-focused venture capital fund. Previously, Anirudh has worked with the Government of India in New Delhi, McKinsey and Co in New York, Goldman Sachs in London, the Carnegie Endowment in Washington DC, and China Institute of International Studies in Beijing. He completed his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader, Anirudh has also served on the Board of the Harvard Alumni Association. He tweets @AnirudhSuri.The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here:X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuriLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suriFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.inWebsite: (http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: (http://www.greattechgame.com/)#IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AIFuturesPodcast #AISummit #globalgovernance #aiguardrails #anirudhsuri #amandeepgill #unsecretarygeneral #unitednations #ai #aiimpact #standards #digitaldivide #AIDivide #digitalsovereignty #Techsovereignty #nigeria #africa #india #aifutures #tgtgpodcast #thegreattechgame #podcast

    57 min
  4. EPISODE 3 TRAILER

    Ep. 3 [Trailer] - The 'Looming AI Divide': How Global Cooperation Can Help | UN Tech Envoy Amandeep Gill

    In this episode of the *AI Futures* podcast, host Anirudh Suri will sit down with Amandeep Gill, the UN Under-Secretary General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies. USG Gill offers a glimpse into the global governance of AI, the "looming AI divide," and the urgent need for international cooperation to prevent a "second great divergence" between the Global North and South. The conversation dives deep into the high-stakes risks of concentration of power, the sustainability crisis facing AI infrastructure, and the human impact on children’s mental health and cognitive development.Questions unpacked in this episode:- What new mechanisms is the UN building to ensure all countries can shape the AI future?- Will AI trigger a “second great divergence”?- Why does a single Chinese university have more compute power than the entire continent of Africa?- Are we facing a “cognitive decline” due to the increasing use of AI?- How do we ensure global AI standards are tech-neutral and inclusive, rather than set by dominant powers?- How can countries like India and Nigeria move from “market bystanders” to active players in the AI ecosystem?- Will AI create new productive opportunities—or displace the entry-level coders and data analysts of tomorrow?🎧 Watch soon to understand what’s at stake as the world’s AI conversation moves to India.#IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AIFuturesPodcast #AISummit #globalgovernance #aiguardrails #anirudhsuri #amandeepgill #unsecretarygeneral #unitednations #ai #aiimpact #standards #digitaldivide #AIDivide #digitalsovereignty #Techsovereignty #nigeria #africa #india #aifutures #tgtgpodcast #thegreattechgame #podcast

    2 min
  5. FEB 5

    Beyond the AI Hype: The Real Breakthroughs AI Needs | Prof. Stuart Russell, UC Berkeley

    In this episode of the *AI Futures* podcast, we speak with Professor Stuart Russell, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, one of the world’s leading experts on artificial intelligence, and the author of the field’s standard textbook, _AI: A Modern Approach_ .The *AI Futures* podcast series is hosted by Anirudh Suri, in collaboration with the *Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India* This podcast serves as the intellectual prelude to the *India AI Impact Summit 2026* , which is taking place from February 16–20, 2026, in New Delhi, India.In this conversation, Professor Russell and Anirudh discuss how fast AI is changing, the limits of today’s dominant ways of building AI systems, and why there is a growing need for global rules to keep AI safe. They explore key questions such as:- How close are we really to Artificial General Intelligence?- Does today’s 'brute force' approach of using more data and computing power risk creating an economic bubble?- Where is AI making the biggest real-world impact right now, in areas like healthcare, education, or science?- Which countries have the strongest AI strategies, and why is the U.S. approach of resisting regulation surprising?- Could the “Age of AI” weaken our mental skills, much like the Industrial Revolution reduced the need for physical labor?This conversation looks at what it will take to move AI debates beyond theory and into real-world outcomes, especially for the Global South.🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now.-----Follow the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/*About Prof. Stuart Russell*Stuart J. Russell is professor (and formerly chair) of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California at Berkeley. He is holder of the Smith-Zadeh Chair in Engineering and director of the Centre for Human-Compatible AI. His book *Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach* is the standard text in AI; it has been translated into 14 languages and is used in over 1,400 universities in 128 countries.*About Anirudh Suri, Host of the Podcast*Anirudh Suri is a non-resident scholar with Carnegie India, where his research and writing focus on technology, artificial intelligence and geopolitics. He is the author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, and host of The Great Tech Game Podcast. He is also the Managing Partner at India Internet Fund, a US and India based technology-focused venture capital fund. Previously, Anirudh has worked with the Government of India in New Delhi, McKinsey and Co in New York, Goldman Sachs in London, the Carnegie Endowment in Washington DC, and China Institute of International Studies in Beijing. He completed his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader, Anirudh has also served on the Board of the Harvard Alumni Association. He tweets @AnirudhSuri.The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here:X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuriLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suriFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.inWebsite: (http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: (http://www.greattechgame.com/)#AIFuturesPodcast #IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AISummit #AIFutures #ArtificialIntelligence #AGI #Computing #GlobalSouth #DataCenters #AIInfrastructure #AnirudhSuri #StuartRussell #UCBerkeley #AIEthics #TheGreatTechGame #TGTGpodcast #podcast #IndiaAIMission

    52 min
  6. FEB 3

    Ep. 2 [Trailer] - Beyond the AI Hype: The Real Breakthroughs AI Needs | Prof. Stuart Russell, UC Berkeley

    In this episode of the *AI Futures* podcast, we speak with Professor Stuart Russell, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, one of the world’s leading experts on artificial intelligence, and the author of the field’s standard textbook, _AI: A Modern Approach_ .The *AI Futures* podcast series is hosted by Anirudh Suri, in collaboration with the *Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India* This podcast serves as the intellectual prelude to the *India AI Impact Summit 2026* , which is taking place from February 16–20, 2026, in New Delhi, India.In this conversation, Professor Russell and Anirudh discuss how fast AI is changing, the limits of today’s dominant ways of building AI systems, and why there is a growing need for global rules to keep AI safe. They explore key questions such as:- How close are we really to Artificial General Intelligence?- Does today’s 'brute force' approach of using more data and computing power risk creating an economic bubble?- Where is AI making the biggest real-world impact right now, in areas like healthcare, education, or science?- Which countries have the strongest AI strategies, and why is the U.S. approach of resisting regulation surprising?- Could the “Age of AI” weaken our mental skills, much like the Industrial Revolution reduced the need for physical labor?This conversation looks at what it will take to move AI debates beyond theory and into real-world outcomes, especially for the Global South.🎧 Watch soon to understand what’s at stake as the global conversation on AI shifts to India.#AIFuturesPodcast #IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AISummit #AIFutures #ArtificialIntelligence #AGI #Computing #GlobalSouth #DataCenters #AIInfrastructure #AnirudhSuri #StuartRussell #UCBerkeley #AIEthics #TheGreatTechGame #TGTGpodcast #podcast #IndiaAIMission

    2 min
  7. JAN 28

    Passing the AI Summit Baton: From France to India | Anne Bouverot, French AI Envoy

    *As France passes the Global AI Summit baton to India, what can we expect from the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026?* In the first episode of our podcast series *AI Futures: The Road to the India AI Impact Summit 2026* , we speak with Anne Bouverot, Special AI Envoy of the French President Emmanuel Macron. Bouverot organized the previous global AI summit - The AI Action Summit - in Paris in 2025. The AI Futures Podcast series, hosted by Anirudh Suri, is organized in collaboration with the *Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India* in the run up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026 being held from Feb 16 - 20, 2026 in New Delhi, India. Bouverot and Suri unpack how the global AI race is shifting beyond a US–China race, and why countries like India and France want to be actors, not just customers, in the AI economy. They deep dive into questions like: - Why is “Impact” the core focus of the upcoming AI summit being hosted by India? - Can AI leadership be multi-polar, or will it remain a US - China race? - What are the energy and climate cost implications of large-scale AI? - What are the most exciting use cases of AI that we can expect in 2026? - Will AI simply reshape work—or quietly hollow out human skills? From geopolitics and talent flows to democracy, energy, and the future of work, this conversation asks what it will take to move AI debates from theory to real-world outcomes—especially for the Global South. And includes a special Rapid Fire session with Bouverot! 🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now. Follow the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/ *About Anne Bouverot* Anne Bouverot is Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS-PSL), and the French President's special envoy for the AI Action Summit. She has spent most of her career in the technology sector and now advises a number of public and private technology companies and scale ups. With economist Philippe Aghion, in 2024 she co-chaired the Commission that published the report ‘AI: our ambition for France’. *About Anirudh Suri, Host of the Podcast* Anirudh Suri is a non-resident scholar with Carnegie India, where his research and writing focus on technology, artificial intelligence and geopolitics. He is the author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, and host of The Great Tech Game Podcast. He is also the Managing Partner at India Internet Fund, a US and India based technology-focused venture capital fund. Previously, Anirudh has worked with the Government of India in New Delhi, McKinsey and Co in New York, Goldman Sachs in London, the Carnegie Endowment in Washington DC, and China Institute of International Studies in Beijing. He completed his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader, Anirudh has also served on the Board of the Harvard Alumni Association. The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here: X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuri Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suri Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.in Website: http://www.anirudhsuri.com/ Book and Podcast: http://www.greattechgame.com/ #IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AISummit #franceai #indiafrance #globalsouth #indiafrancerelations #geopolitics #AnneBouverot #AnirudhSuri #aifutures #thegreattechgame #AIFuturesPodcast

    49 min
  8. JAN 22 · BONUS

    Introducing AI FUTURES: The Official Podcast for the India AI Impact Summit 2026 | Hosted by Anirudh Suri

    #AIFuturesPodcast #IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 We’re excited to launch AI Futures: The Road to the India AI Impact Summit 2026 - the official podcast of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 being hosted by India in New Delhi from Feb 15 - 20, 2026. As India takes centre stage in global AI conversations following the Paris AI Summit last year, this series is the official podcast of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 produced in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. The podcast is hosted by author, policy advisor and venture capitalist Anirudh Suri who also hosts The Great Tech Game Podcast. As AI adoption accelerates worldwide, the Summit shifts the focus from hype to measurable impact, positioning India as a key convener for the Global South and beyond. Through conversations with policymakers, technologists, and global thinkers, the AI Futures podcast examines how AI can be governed, deployed, and scaled.In the run up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, we will bring you the top AI leaders and decision makers from around the world. 👉 Subscribe now and stay tuned for our next conversation. 🎧 ------------------------ Follow the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/ Host of the Podcast, Anirudh Suri: The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here: X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuri Linkedin:   / anirudhsuri   Instagram:   / anirudh_suri   Facebook:   / anirudhsuri.in   Website: (http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: (http://www.greattechgame.com/) #AIFuturesPodcast #IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AIsummit #AnirudhSuri #thegreattechgame #tgtgpodcast #geopolitics #techgeopolitics #meity #globalsouth #globaleconomy #india

    1 min

Trailers

About

AI Futures: The Road to the India AI Impact Summit 2026: As India takes centre stage in global AI conversations following the Paris AI Summit last year, this podcast series for the India AI Impact Summit 2026 is produced in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. In the run up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, we will bring you the top AI leaders and decision makers from around the world. The podcast is hosted by author, policy advisor and venture capitalist Anirudh Suri who also hosts The Great Tech Game Podcast.