AI Impact Summit 2026: Pre-Summit Event sets stage for transformative growth
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 19 2026: The Official Pre-Summit Event ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 was held at the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT), Imphal, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, technology experts, and startups to deliberate on the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Northeastregion.

The event was organised by the AI & Emerging Technologies Society, Manipur (A Think Tank Group), in association with NIELIT Imphal and the Department of Information Technology (DIT), Government of Manipur, reflecting a collaborative approach to advancing inclusive and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence in the region.

The official Pre-Summit theme, "Transforming North East India: Grassroots Al for Global Employability and Impact", focused on leveraging Al and emerging technologies to enhance skills, employability, and innovation, particularly among youth and emerging professionals from the North Eastern States.

The event was graced by dignitaries, including Th Kirankumar, Secretary (IT), Manipur; Dr Yumnam Jayanta, Executive director, NIELIT, Imphal; N Deben, Director, DIT, Manipur; Biswajit Hazarika, Member, FINER & MD, Trans Virtual Pvt Ltd; Nirupam Chaudhuri, Director, NASSCOM; Dr Mani Madhukar, Programme Lead, Innovation Center for Education, IBM; Subimal Bhattacharjee, Head, Critical and Emerging Technology Society; and Amit Das, Managing Director, India Center, German Academy of Digital Education (DADB).

Satinder Kumar Bhalla, Secretary, North Eastern Council (NEC); Dr MM Tripathi, Vice Chancellor, NIELIT; and Major Raishe PA, Director, NEC also attended the event online.

The event kicked off with registration and stall visits, followed by an inaugural session that featured a welcome address, opening remarks, and a video presentation highlighting the vision of grassroots AI adoption in the region.

At the event, speakers emphasized AI's role in enhancing employability, governance, entrepreneurship, and inclusive development in the Northeast.

The event featured insightful presentations by experts from the AI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), NEC, NASSCOM, IBM, FINER, Critical & Emerging Technologies, HSSC, NIELIT, Directorate of IT, and other institutions.

A 'Global Business Roundtable' was also held focussing on AI opportunities and real-world use cases, encouraging collaboration between innovators, enterprises, and Government agencies.

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