India AI Impact Summit: Day 2
Day 2 of the AI Impact Summit brought a packed schedule of discussions, roundtables, and receptions - all centred on burning question: how do we move AI from principles to proof, from aspiration to adoption, and from theory to trusted implementation at scale?
The day kicked off with a techUK official AI Impact Summit panel "Global AI Assurance & Standards: From Principles to Proof" facilitated by Sue Daley OBE and co-hosted with BSI. The session featured a presentation by Professor Carsten Maple from the University of Warwick and the Alan Turing Institute, followed by a panel with Natasha Crampton, VP and Chief Responsible AI Officer at Microsoft, Tim McGarr, AI Market Development Lead at BSI and Raj Bharat Patel, AI Transformation Lead, Holistic AI. The discussion explored how assurance and standards can create the shared language and trust frameworks needed for AI to scale responsibly across borders and sectors.
The session brought together UK and international stakeholders for a thoughtful and practical discussion on how AI governance, far from being a drag on innovation, can act as the strategic enabler that allows organisations to move faster with confidence. One framing stood out: AI governance is the brakes on the car, essential for control and safety, but what actually allows you to drive at speed. The conversation explored how assurance should be embedded by design, with one powerful concept emerging: "assurance and evidence as a product." Rather than treating compliance as an afterthought, organisations should proactively generate, package, and demonstrate evidence of responsible AI practices as part of their offering.
The discussion covered the maturation of responsible AI as a discipline, no longer just about principles, but about operationalisation, documentation, testing, and measurable controls. ISO/IEC 42001, the AI management systems standard, was highlighted as an increasingly embedded expectation across sectors, particularly in financial services and other highly regulated environments. The conversation also emphasised the importance of responsibility across the entire AI supply chain, procurement-led risk framing, and the need for real-world testing at scale, not just at the design stage. A recurring theme throughout was that AI assurance is not regulatory box-ticking; it is economic strategy, underpinning trust, growth, and international competitiveness.
India AI Impact Summit 2026
India AI Impact Summit 2026
At lunchtime, some techUK delegates met with NASSCOM to discuss current partnerships, programme alignment, and potential paths forward for deeper UK-India collaboration on AI policy and industry engagement.
Meanwhile, other techUK delegates attended an event with Indian Minister of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary, where research on public sector AI adoption, conducted by Public First and Google, was unveiled.
India AI Impact Summit 2026
India AI Impact Summit 2026
India AI Impact Summit 2026
The Global AI Adoption Index for Public Services, based on a survey of over 3,000 public sector workers across ten countries including India and the UK, explores the practical realities of AI use in government. The research identified five key drivers of successful adoption: enthusiasm, empowerment, education and skills, enablement through access to the right tools, and the embedding of AI into everyday workflows. India ranked third globally, behind Saudi Arabia and Singapore, and led significantly on enthusiasm, with 83% of Indian public sector workers expressing optimism about AI, compared to just 43% in the UK. Minister Chaudhary shared thoughts on India's focus on impact and action and deploying AI to support people in their everyday lives and empower individuals.
We also welcomed many conversations throughout the later afternoon at our booth in the UK Pavillion, engaging with international visitors and showcasing the breadth of the UK's AI ecosystem.
The evening brought a series of well-attended industry receptions. Mozilla hosted a lively event focused on open source and community-driven innovation, emceed by CTO Raffi, while Credo AI gathered stakeholders to discuss AI governance in practice over drinks.
India AI Impact Summit 2026
India AI Impact Summit 2026
Another reception was hosted by AWS, following a panel discussion on the AI Adoption Initiative. Leaders including David Zapolsky, Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer at Amazon, Shubhi Agarwal, Co-Founder and COO of LocoBuzz, and UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan MP joined chair Kevin Allison to explore what other countries can learn from India and other nations using AI to innovate, upskill populations, and improve public service delivery. On the question of what role government and policymakers should play in driving AI adoption, the panel emphasised the importance of bringing people on the journey, finding AI champions and ambassadors, demonstrating proof of impact through use cases, and taking a place-based approach that makes the case for AI's benefits locally. Ensuring employees have the skills to use and trust AI tools was highlighted as essential, not just through early education, but through continuous industry-led upskilling as workers progress through their careers. The panel closed with a clear message: with the right champions, infrastructure, and skills at scale, AI adoption can and will happen. The event ended with a reception where techUK’s Sue Daley OBE gave a short address reinforcing the UK's commitment to AI adoption that is inclusive, skills-led, and grounded in real-world impact.
As Day 2 drew to a close, the momentum behind responsible, evidence-led AI adoption was unmistakable, and the UK-India partnership continues to emerge as a crucial axis in making it a reality.
India AI Impact Summit 2026
India AI Impact Summit 2026
India AI Impact Summit 2026
