New Delhi, Feb 19 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday presented a comprehensive and value-driven vision for Artificial Intelligence, asserting that India’s AI journey will be anchored in humanity, inclusivity and trust.
Addressing the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in the national capital, the Prime Minister introduced the philosophy of “MANAV” , a framework that blends technological advancement with human values and national development goals.
The acronym stands for Moral and Ethical Systems, Accountable Governance, National Sovereignty, Accessible and Inclusive AI, and Valid and Legitimate Systems.
Under the first pillar, Modi emphasised that AI must be grounded in strong moral and ethical systems.
Fairness, transparency and meaningful human oversight, he said, are non-negotiable principles in AI design and deployment. India is embedding these values early through policy and education.
The National Education Policy 2020 integrates digital and AI literacy across levels, fostering computational thinking and awareness of ethical AI practices. Reflecting public commitment, India also set a Guinness World Records title at the Summit with 2,50,946 pledges for responsible AI within 24 hours, transforming ethical intent into a collective national movement.
The second pillar ‘Accountable Governance’ focuses on transparent rules and robust oversight. At the core of this effort is the IndiaAI Mission, approved with an outlay exceeding Rs 10,300 crore.
The Mission strengthens compute infrastructure, datasets, skilling initiatives and innovation ecosystems, while embedding governance frameworks into AI development from the outset. India’s AI Governance Guidelines further reinforce trust, equity, accountability and fairness, ensuring that AI systems remain explainable, lawful and aligned with democratic values.
On ‘National Sovereignty’ which is the third pillar, the Prime Minister asserted that in the AI era, sovereignty extends beyond geography to include control over data, algorithms and digital infrastructure.
India is strengthening domestic capabilities through initiatives such as the India Semiconductor Mission, trusted data governance frameworks and secure digital public infrastructure.
The approach aims to promote technological self-reliance without digital isolation, maintaining global collaboration while safeguarding national interests.
The fourth pillar ‘Accessible and Inclusive AI’ ensures that artificial intelligence serves society at scale rather than benefiting only a privileged few. India’s Digital Public Infrastructure enables AI applications to expand rapidly across healthcare, education, agriculture and governance.
Platforms such as MeghRaj GI Cloud and the IndiaAI Compute Portal provide shared access to high-performance computing resources, including GPUs and TPUs, lowering barriers for startups and researchers. IndiaAI Kosh, the AI Data Labs Network and the National Supercomputing Mission further strengthen datasets, research and computing capacity nationwide.
The final pillar ‘Valid and Legitimate Systems’ places trust, safety and legality at the centre of AI deployment. The Prime Minister highlighted concerns around deepfakes and synthetic media, stressing that AI systems must be verifiable and transparent.
The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026 formally regulate synthetically generated content. Additionally, the Safe and Trusted AI component of the IndiaAI Mission supports bias mitigation, privacy-preserving system design, algorithmic auditing and risk assessment frameworks.
Through MANAV, Prime Minister Modi articulated not just a policy direction but a broader civilisational perspective on artificial intelligence — one that aligns innovation with ethics, governance with accountability, sovereignty with openness, and inclusion with scale. The framework positions India as a nation seeking to shape an AI future that advances both technological progress and human well-being.
