Introducing the Series
The 2026 AI Impact Summit in India is the latest iteration of an event that has become a bellwether for global discourse around the AI industry, especially the question of whether, and how, it can be governed.
But it also demonstrates how important ideas can be invoked in ways that dilute their meaning or co-opt their force. In this series—produced by AI Now Institute, Aapti Institute, and The Maybe—we bring together leading advocates, builders, and thinkers from around the world who live and breathe substance, analysis, and meaningful action into these ideas.
Open Source
Meredith Whittaker
Sovereignty
Rafael Grohmann
Multilateralism
Chinasa T. Okolo
Linguistic Diversity
Chenai Chair
Accountability
Nikhil Dey
Democratization
Audrey Tang
AI for Good
Abeba Birhane
Frugal AI
Timnit Gebru
AI and Development
Usha Ramanathan
Climate
Naomi Klein
Human Capital
Joan Kinyua
Data Rich
Karen Hao
The India AI Impact Summit 2026: Early Forensics and Planting the Seeds for a People-Centered Alternative
Sumedha Deshmukh, Amba Kak, Astha Kapoor, and Mila Samdub