New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for a “fundamental change” in global approaches to critical technologies, urging G20 nations to ensure that innovation remains centred on humanity rather than commercial or geopolitical competition.
Addressing the third session of the G20 Summit on ‘A Fair and a Just Future for All – Critical Minerals; Decent Work; Artificial Intelligence’, PM Modi cautioned that rapid technological advances were concentrating opportunities and resources in a few hands. “Competition over critical technologies is intensifying. This is a matter of concern for humanity and an obstacle to innovation,” he said.
The PM stressed that technology must transition from being “finance-centric to human-centric, national to global, and based on open-source rather than exclusive models.” He said India had built this vision into its digital ecosystem, citing the country’s leadership in digital payments and broad-based progress in sectors including space and AI.
Global Compact On AI
Outlining India’s AI strategy, PM Modi said it rests on equitable access, population-scale skilling and responsible deployment. Under the India-AI Mission, he said, high-performance computing capacity is being created “so that the benefits of AI reach every district and every language.”
He cautioned that global safeguards were necessary to prevent misuse. “We must ensure that AI is used for the global good and that its misuse is prevented. We need a global compact on AI based on effective human oversight, safety-by-design, transparency, and strict prohibitions on the use of AI for deep fakes, crime and terrorist activities,” he said. While AI can enhance human abilities, “the ultimate responsibility for decision-making must always remain with human beings,” he emphasised.
The PM announced that India will host the AI Impact Summit in February 2026, themed ‘Sarvajanam Hitaya, Sarvajanam Sukhaya – Welfare for all, Happiness for all’, and invited all G20 members to participate.
Capabilities of Tomorrow
Arguing that the age of AI demands a shift in how labour markets are prepared, the PM said the global community must move from the “jobs of today” to the “capabilities of tomorrow.” Noting progress made during the New Delhi G20 Summit, he proposed that the grouping work toward a Global Framework for Talent Mobility in the coming years.
Reflecting on lessons from the pandemic, the PM said the fragility of global supply chains had underlined the need for cooperation rather than purely market-driven relationships between nations. He recalled that India provided vaccines and medicines to more than 150 countries during Covid-19.
India’s message to the world, PM Modi concluded, is a push for fairness and inclusion across global systems: “Development must be sustainable, trade should be trusted, finance must be fair, and progress must ensure all-inclusive prosperity.”
“Only then,” he said, “can we build a fair and just future for all.”