ISB hosts fourth governance conference on inclusive AI, public policy in Mohali

The Bharti Institute of Public Policy (BIPP) at the Indian School of Business (ISB), in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), hosted the Governance Summit 2026: Inclusive AI for Viksit Bharat at ISB’s Mohali campus.

The fourth edition of the summit commenced with an inaugural keynote address by S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, who underscored the government’s commitment to building an AI ecosystem that serves every citizen, particularly those at the margins of the digital economy.

In his address, Krishnan highlighted that artificial intelligence presents India with a transformative opportunity to boost productivity, improve governance and expand access across crucial sectors like healthcare, education, manufacturing and financial inclusion.

He noted that while concerns regarding AI’s impact on cognitive jobs are understandable, India remains uniquely positioned to harness this technology for inclusive growth.

The day-long event featured thematic panel discussions on — AI’s role in digital commerce; online safety for women and children; healthcare access and affordability; and job creation and digital entrepreneurship.

Concurrently, a parallel roundtable examined the operationalisation of AI for last-mile public service delivery, spanning from state governments down to gram panchayats.

The summit drew over 250 delegates, reflecting the growing importance of dialogues at the intersection of AI, governance and public policy. The event brought together a distinguished line-up of policymakers, industry leaders, academics and civil society representatives from organisations such as MeitY, Reliance Retail, Mastercard, IIT Madras, UNICEF India, and the Punjab Police.