Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak brought a moment of levity to the high-powered India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, apologizing for his late arrival with a witty remark about the city’s notorious congestion. Arriving a few minutes behind schedule for a joint session with UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, Sunak took full responsibility for the delay, quipping that while the world has seen AI solve incredibly complex problems this week, it “can’t yet fix Delhi’s traffic.” The light-hearted jab at the capital’s gridlock—likely worsened by the VVIP movement and security diversions surrounding the summit—resonated with the audience and quickly went viral on social media. Sunak’s banter didn’t stop there; after praising India for “leapfrogging” the UK in AI innovation, he playfully reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi that England still sits higher in the ICC Test rankings, jokingly noting that cricket standings might be “arguably more important” than tech rankings.
Beyond the jokes, Sunak used his platform to deliver a serious message about India’s emergence as an “AI superpower.” He highlighted the country’s unique “digital public infrastructure”—including UPI and Aadhaar—as the essential “distribution rails” that allow AI to be scaled for 1.4 billion people in a way most Western nations cannot yet replicate. Reflecting on the journey from the first AI Safety Summit he hosted at Bletchley Park to the current “impact-focused” discussions in New Delhi, Sunak argued that the real global race is no longer just about who invents the best technology, but who adopts and deploys it most effectively. He expressed immense optimism about India’s deep talent pool and its “hungry and eager” startup ecosystem, noting that the energy in India’s tech sector is unlike anywhere else in the world, positioning the nation to lead the Global South in democratizing AI benefits.
The summit, which has seen the participation of global tech titans like Sundar Pichai and Sam Altman, has been marked by both high-level policy commitments—such as India formally joining the “Pax Silica” alliance—and relatable human moments like Sunak’s traffic complaint. While the former UK PM focused on the need for responsible and inclusive AI governance, the reality of Delhi’s streets provided a grounding reminder of the physical infrastructure challenges that even the most advanced algorithms have yet to overcome. As the summit concludes, Sunak’s remarks serve as a bridge between the “AI anxiety” often felt in the West and the “incredible optimism” he observed in India, reinforcing the idea that technology must be used to “raise the floor for humanity” while acknowledging that some everyday hurdles remain stubbornly human.
