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Inside India AI Impact Summit 2026: Chaos on the Ground

Attendees at Delhi’s AI Impact Summit 2026 flagged overcrowding, access issues, and weak connectivity, with social media reactions shifting focus from AI to execution gaps.

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Manisha Sharma
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ai impact summit 2026

Inside India AI Impact Summit 2026

As India hosted the AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi, the most visible conversation around the event unfolded not inside conference halls but across social media timelines.

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Rather than discussions on artificial intelligence breakthroughs or policy frameworks, attendees shared posts highlighting overcrowding, access restrictions, weak internet connectivity and what many described as a chaotic on-ground experience.

Across X, users attending the summit posted first-hand accounts of long queues, restricted movement and confusion around entry. Several questioned whether the summit’s scale and ambition were matched by its execution, particularly in the public-facing experience.

Packed Halls, Limited Access

Multiple posts alleged that exhibitors, startup founders and delegates were made to wait outside the venue for extended periods, with some claiming access limitations were imposed without prior communication.

“No water, no internet, no clarity. The media shows celebration. Ground reality was chaos,” one user wrote, questioning the level of coordination at an event positioned as a global technology summit.

According to attendees, movement inside the venue was also restricted as halls reached capacity. Several parallel sessions were reported to be full, preventing participants from attending planned discussions.

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A widely shared update stated:
“Complete chaos, as all entries for the AI Impact Summit have been closed, without any prior notice.”

Another attendee noted, “I see visitors leaving the venue in large numbers.”

Others pointed to the absence of visible AI-driven features on the ground. One post listed the gaps bluntly:

Connectivity Gaps at a Tech Summit

Concerns extended beyond crowd management to basic digital infrastructure. Several attendees flagged patchy mobile internet connectivity, calling it ironic for a technology-focused event.

One exhibitor wrote:

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Others pointed to the absence of visible AI-led features such as digital navigation, AI-enabled badge printing or queue management systems, arguing that the on-ground experience felt disconnected from the summit’s stated objectives.

Media and Delegate Frustration

Some of the sharpest criticism came from media professionals attending the event. In a detailed account, one attendee described the arrangements as disorganised and unresponsive.

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“Unfortunately, the overall management felt extremely chaotic. There was a clear lack of coordination, and most of the staff at the help desks appeared clueless and unable to guide attendees properly.”

The post added that there were “no proper arrangements made for media representatives”, with no designated space to sit, interact or conduct conversations. According to the account, a request for temporary seating was met with the response that “there was no access to media today.”

“For an event of this scale, better organisation, clearer communication, and structured media support are expected,” the attendee wrote.

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Sarcasm, Irony and Pushback

Social media reactions also included sarcasm and irony. Some users questioned why an AI summit was not hosted virtually, calling it a missed opportunity to showcase real-world applications of the technology.

Another attendee highlighted the contrast between modern transport and old-style access controls, posting:

Scale Versus Experience

Officially, the AI Impact Summit 2026 features over 500 events alongside its main programme and includes more than 840 exhibitors spanning research labs, AI startups and global technology firms. The summit is structured around the themes of People, Planet and Progress, with an emphasis on international cooperation and responsible AI adoption.

Key sessions include a Leaders’ Plenary, a GPAI Council meeting and a research symposium. Organisers have said the aim is to ensure AI’s benefits reach developing nations without compromising governance standards. Yet, as posts from attendees suggest, the gap between ambition and execution became one of the summit’s most discussed outcomes.

For many on the ground, the experience raised a broader question: whether large-scale technology events can afford to treat logistics and digital infrastructure as secondary considerations, especially when the promise is about the future of intelligent systems at scale.

In Delhi this week, it was not AI models or policy frameworks that went viral, but the lived experience of navigating a summit that struggled under its own weight.