The day an AI summit felt strangely, beautifully human

At the summit of AI giants, the technology was impressive, but the experience was even more memorable. Messy queues outside, serene discussions inside, and an irony that made the whole day feel wonderfully, unmistakably human. Here's how I spent my day at the India AI Impact Summit...

I went to listen to the biggest minds in artificial intelligence, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Demis Hassabis, Yann LeCun, Brad Smith, and walked away thinking not about machines, but about people.

Because before the conversations on safeguards, the future of work, and responsible AI even began, there was a very earthly scene playing out at the gates of Bharat Mandapam. There was confusion, there were queues, and there was sloganeering.

At one point, amid security barricades and visibly anxious attendees, a few voices even broke into “Inquilab Zindabad!,” a slogan that felt wildly out of place at an AI summit, and yet perfectly in place at that moment of collective frustration.

But the satire of this was not lost on me. The world had gathered to discuss artificial intelligence, while outside, people were relying on the oldest, most human tools available, raised voices, questions, and shared confusion.

And then, you crossed inside, and then the energy shifted.

For a summit hosting some of the most influential AI leaders in the world, the halls were surprisingly sparse. Entire rows of seats were empty, and several delegate sections had visible gaps. This was not due to lack of interest in the sessions, but largely because many who were meant to be inside were still outside navigating access bottlenecks.