Confluence of Government, Start-ups and Creators at the India AI Impact Summit 2026
Confluence of Government, Start-ups and Creators at the India AI Impact Summit 2026
Key Takeaways
Introduction
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 commenced on 16 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marking the first international summit on Artificial Intelligence hosted in the Global South. This landmark event positions India as a pivotal player in the global AI dialogue, emphasizing AI-led growth that prioritizes People, Progress, and Planet. With startups at the forefront of innovation and scalable deployment, the summit advances India’s vision for responsible, indigenous AI capabilities while fostering inclusive and sustainable development.
A key highlight is the dedicated MIB Pavilion of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which showcases India’s thriving AI startup ecosystem at the intersection of media, entertainment, gaming, and creative technologies. Through the WAVES Creators Corner, the pavilion offers a dynamic platform for live demonstrations, panels, masterclasses, fireside chats, and startup showcases, enabling direct interactions among founders, policymakers, investors, creators, and international stakeholders.
The focus prominently features the AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) and Media Tech sectors, where 51 startups are showcasing market-ready, AI-powered solutions across content creation, immersive experiences, multilingual tools, adaptive gameplay, and digital storytelling. This convergence reflects the Government of India’s recognition of the creative economy as a strategic driver of growth, employment, and innovation.
Catalysing Growth in India’s Creative Economy: Union Budget 2026–27
The creative economy comprises industries where value is generated from creativity, culture, technology, and intellectual property. It spans media and entertainment, animation and VFX, gaming, live events, and digital content platforms that operate across global markets, contributing to GDP, employment, and exports. Framed within the broader vision of the Orange Economy, culture and creativity are treated as strategic economic assets—linking heritage and talent with innovation, market access, and global partnerships to generate income and international influence.
Platforms such as the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) & AI Impact Summit 2026 operationalise this vision by connecting creators, startups, investors, and policymakers to enable co-productions, IP marketplace linkages, incubation, and cross-border collaborations.
The Union Budget 2026–27 further reinforces this trajectory by recognising the creative (Orange) economy as a driver of growth, employment, and innovation, with specific emphasis on the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) sector aligned with digital and AI-led development. It supports the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai, to establish AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges nationwide, building a skilled talent pipeline. With the AVGC sector projected to require nearly 2 million professionals by 2030, this positions the creative economy as a major employment engine for the digital generation.
MIB Pavilion: Focus Areas and Key Highlights
The MIB has established a dedicated Pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 to present India’s AI startup capabilities across media, entertainment, gaming, and creative technologies. The Pavilion operates within a sector that has transitioned from cultural relevance to economic centrality.
India’s media and entertainment sector was valued at approximately ₹2.5 trillion in 2024, with total revenues projected to reach ₹3.067 trillion by 2027, growing at an average annual rate of around 7 percent. Digital media alone accounts for nearly one-third of sector revenues, reflecting the accelerating shift toward platform-based production and distribution models. The broader ecosystem supports over 10 million livelihoods, directly and indirectly, and generates annual output of approximately ₹3 lakh crore.
Within this expanding landscape, the Pavilion brings together technology developers, content creators, investors, policymakers, and global stakeholders across three focus areas:
Startups demonstrate AI-assisted filmmaking, virtual production, automated editing, multilingual dubbing, voice synthesis, AI avatars, and digital storytelling tools. These applications improve efficiency across production pipelines while expanding multilingual reach in a country with diverse linguistic markets. As digital revenues outpace traditional formats, AI integration strengthens scalability and cost optimisation across content workflows.
India ranks among the world’s largest gaming markets by user base, supported by widespread mobile penetration and a digitally native demographic. Rising monetisation, expanding domestic studios, and integration with global platforms are transforming gaming from mass engagement to structured digital industry growth.
MIB Pavilion showcases include generative AI for game asset development, real-time commentary systems, adaptive gameplay engines, immersive environments, and interactive sports technologies. These innovations demonstrate the transition from gaming consumption to AI-native game development and immersive platform creation.
India’s animation and VFX sector operates as a globally integrated production base, contributing to international films, streaming platforms, advertising campaigns, and immersive experiences. Established creative hubs in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, and Thiruvananthapuram anchor this ecosystem, supported by an expanding mid-level and senior talent base.
The MIB Pavilion features AI applications for podcasts, virtual studios, immersive theatre, experiential media, and creator tools that integrate into these production pipelines. With projections of nearly 2 million direct and indirect jobs over the next decade in the AVGC sector, AI-enabled creative technologies are positioned as both economic and employment multipliers.
Key Highlight of the MIB Pavilion at AI Impact Summit 2026
The MIB Pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 stands out as a key highlight of India’s expanding creative economy, bringing together 51 AI-driven startups, industry leaders, and global partners under the WAVES Creators Corner. Through showcases such as immersive theatre experiences, and advanced newsroom and gaming technologies, the MIB Pavilion demonstrates the practical integration of AI into content creation and digital platforms. Collectively, these highlights reflect a sector that is scaling in value, capability, and global relevance.
Indian AI & Gaming Startups Take Center Stage at India AI Impact Summit 2026
AI-powered gaming and immersive media emerge as a strategic pillar within India’s expanding AVGC ecosystem. The Summit highlights how AI accelerates production pipelines, enhances interactive storytelling, and supports original IP creation.
Under the gaming and interactive technology category, five pioneering Indian startups will showcase cutting-edge AI-powered solutions, highlighting India’s growing leadership at the intersection of AI, gaming, immersive media and enterprise transformation.
Investing in India’s AI Gaming Future
A special panel discussion titled “The New Gold Rush: Investing in India’s AI-Powered Gaming Future,” curated in collaboration with the Game Developers Association of India, will convene global investors and industry leaders to discuss India’s expanding influence in AI-driven game development and interactive media.
The session will examine evolving investment trends, AI-enabled production models, skilling initiatives and policy frameworks required to accelerate India’s rise as a global powerhouse in AI-powered gaming innovation.
Together, these startups demonstrate how AI is moving beyond experimentation to become embedded within gaming production, immersive experiences, and enterprise transformation frameworks. Their solutions reflect a maturing ecosystem that combines creative innovation with scalable technology deployment. Collectively, they signal India’s emergence as a developer of AI-native gaming platforms rather than solely a consumer market.
Expanding Global Opportunities for Indian Creative Industry
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 has created new avenues for Indian AI startups and creative professionals to connect with global innovation, capital, and policy networks. With over 300 curated pavilions and live demonstrations, the India AI Impact Expo 2026 convenes 600+ startups and 13 country delegations, amplifying international exposure across media and entertainment, AVGC-XR, gaming, immersive technologies, and digital platforms.
Participation from leading technology companies, research bodies, and public institutions representing more than 100 countries provides insight into international production systems and regulatory landscapes. Such exchanges support benchmarking in creative AI, animation, gaming, and IP-led content, while opening doors to co-creation, investment, and new market opportunities.
Innovation challenges and strategic dialogues further position Indian enterprises within influential global forums shaping AI standards and digital trade frameworks. Together, these engagements strengthen India’s capacity to expand its creative and AI-driven industries worldwide, while contributing to a responsible, inclusive, and scalable global innovation ecosystem.
Conclusion
The MIB Pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 demonstrates how India is translating its AI vision into visible, market-ready outcomes led by startups, creators, and innovators. Through a focused showcase of media, gaming, immersive, and creative technologies, the MIB Pavilion highlights the depth of India’s AI capabilities and the growing convergence of technology, culture, and enterprise.
Across five days of structured programming, the pavilion will enable sustained engagement among startups, policymakers, investors, creators, and international stakeholders. Founder-led narratives, policy dialogue, and industry collaboration have together positioned Indian AI innovation as both globally competitive and locally grounded.
By combining startup showcases, creative experimentation, governance discussions, and global market exposure, the pavilion will also reinforces India’s approach to responsible, inclusive, and scalable AI growth. It directly reflects a broader national ambition to build AI-native platforms, strengthen creative economies, and position India as a leading contributor to the global AI ecosystem from the Global South.
References
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Prime Minister’s Office
Press Information Bureau
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