In his opening remarks, Amit Sinha Roy, Principal Advisor – Digital at the Confederation of Indian Industry, emphasized that as India accelerates its AI adoption, cybersecurity must be embedded at the core of every AI system. The speech called for a shift from reactive cybersecurity practices to predictive, intelligence-driven security frameworks that protect data, algorithms, models and digital infrastructure.
A strong message was delivered about making AI security inclusive and scalable, especially for SMBs and startups, while ensuring that security is not limited to large enterprises. The speaker emphasized the importance of public-private partnership, regulatory balance and shared threat intelligence to strengthen India’s AI ecosystem.
“India-AI Impact Summit 2026, hosted by India, is the first Global AI Summit to be hosted in the South and anchored by the three fundamental Sutras of People, Planet and Progress, which is more than a dialogue; it is a blueprint for inclusive growth. We recognize that AI acts as a kinetic engine for economic growth, transforming static data into a high-speed engine for Viksit Bharat,” said Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary and CEO of India AI Mission, Meity, Govt. of India.
The key takeaway was that India needs to build AI systems that are secure by design, resilient by their architecture, and trusted by citizens. By doing so, the country can position itself as a global leader not only in scaling AI innovation, but also in securing it responsibly. Gulshan Rai, former Director General CERT-In and former National Cyber Security Coordinator of the Government of India, highlighted that AI is now deeply entrenched in everyday life and economic growth, with significant global and Indian investment momentum.
He noted that India is not lagging behind and is strategically focusing on agentic AI, which poses more complex and distinct security challenges than generative AI. The speech highlighted that AI security must be tailored to the specific type of AI being deployed, especially agentic systems that communicate directly with operating systems and infrastructure.
Key concerns raised included outdated software environments, a lack of structured testing facilities, insufficient access to real data sets for validation, unstructured data ecosystems, and limited infrastructure for testing and certifying AI security. The speaker called for stronger collaboration between government and industry to build testing infrastructure, improve data access frameworks, enhance secure-by-design development, and upgrade SOC and monitoring architectures for an AI-driven environment.
The central conclusion: AI security requires a fundamental rethink of system architecture, testing capabilities and preparedness at the national level to build a resilient and future-proof ecosystem. G Narendra Nath, Joint Secretary, NSCS, Government of India, in his address emphasized that adoption of AI is no longer optional as it has become a horizontal technology across sectors.
The main priority now is to ensure robust security of AI systems, building on existing cybersecurity frameworks while addressing AI-specific risks. He highlighted unique AI challenges, including the integration of control and user planes, prompt-based manipulation, data provenance concerns, risks from third-party AI vendors, and the difficulty of distinguishing system failures from malicious attacks.
The need for structured assessment frameworks, transparency in AI model training and privacy-preserving technologies was strongly underlined. He also noted that regulatory and standards efforts are already developing across sectors, and encouraged the industry to actively incorporate AI security, auditability and accountability requirements into contracts and governance mechanisms.
The key takeaway: In addition to policy development, practical implementation, technical assessment, and AI-based cybersecurity operations must also progress simultaneously to build a resilient AI ecosystem. Pavan Duggal, a lawyer at the Supreme Court of India, highlighted that India currently does not have a dedicated cybersecurity law and an AI-specific legal framework, leaving significant regulatory gaps in an AI-driven era. He emphasized that existing laws, including the Information Technology Act of 2000, were never designed to address AI-related risks, liability or machine autonomy.
The speech called for urgent legal reforms, including a dedicated framework for AI resilience, clearer liability and accountability standards for AI companies, and stronger regulatory enforcement mechanisms. The speaker emphasized that self-regulation is no longer enough, especially as AI-powered cybercrime becomes increasingly organized and commercial.
The key takeaway was a clear policy call to action: India must go beyond traditional legal approaches and establish enforceable, transparent and accountable AI governance mechanisms to ensure cyber resilience, protect stakeholders and position itself as a responsible global leader in AI regulation. Neehar Pathare, MD, CEO & CIO, 63SATS, Cybertech, highlighted that AI-powered cyber threats are evolving faster than traditional defenses, with increasing deepfake fraud, AI-generated malware and generative attacks reshaping the threat landscape.
There is a wide gap between AI-enabled attacks and limited adoption of AI-powered defenses due to budget, talent and regulatory challenges. The key takeaway was that organizations urgently need to adopt AI-based security frameworks and implement strong AI governance before deployment, as the next major breach could come from an unmanaged AI system rather than a traditional hacker.
The next session of the Summit witnessed the participation of a distinguished array of eminent speakers including Jitendra Mohan Bhardwaj, Group CISO, Business Head – Cyber Security, Tata Advanced Systems Limited; Vaibhav Koul, Managing Director – Cyber Security, Privacy & Incident Response, Protiviti; Anirban Mukherji, Founder and CEO, miniOrange; S Dipin Nair, Chief Information Security Officer and Head of IT, Anadrone System Pvt Ltd.
Published on February 19, 2026
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