Prime Minister at G20

While speaking at the G20 summit in Johannesburg in support of the creation of a global Artificial Intelligence(AI )compact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed to prevent its misuse with a focus on inclusive and responsible global development. He underlined the need for adopting the core principles.He said, “AI systems that affect human life, security, or public trust must be responsible and accountable. Most importantly, AI should enhance human capabilities, but the ultimate responsibility for decision-making will always remain with humans.”At the same time the Prime Minister announced that the AI Impact Summit will be hosted in India the next year in February having the theme “Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay (Welfare for all, Happiness for all).He extended an invitation to all G20 nations.The undercurrent of his address was the need to shift from jobs of today to capabilities of tomorrow making it clear that there is a need for innovation.His focus was on humanistic approach emphasising that under the India-AI Mission, we are creating accessible high-performance computing so that the benefits of AI reach every district and every language.He underlined that, “We have to promote technology applications that are ‘human centric’ instead of ‘finance centric’, which are ‘global’ instead of ‘national’ and ‘open source’ instead of ‘exclusive models’. We have tried to integrate this vision in all technology projects of India.”He revealed that India played a leadership role in digital payment systems and that was witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic when people were battling for life.His message was that development should be sustainable, business should be trusted, finance should be fair, and progress should bring all-inclusive prosperity.It is pertinent to mention that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi upheld the inclusive philosophy of “Integral Humanism” propounded by Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay,one of the founders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh(BJS) precursor to Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP).This philosophy emphasises the importance of accessibility of the bare necessities like traditional knowledge, health care and skill development for the marginalised sections of the society.On the sidelines of the G20 summit the Prime Minister also met the Prime Minister of Japan, Sanae Takaichi. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, which is based on civilizational connection, shared values, mutual goodwill and commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The leaders underscored their commitment to deepening the India-Japan partnership for regional and global peace, prosperity and stability. The leaders acknowledged the steady progress made in bilateral ties during the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit and called for expeditious implementation of the outcomes agreed upon in a wide range of areas such as defense and security, trade and investment, SMEs, Artificial Intelligence, critical minerals, semiconductors, infrastructure development, technology and innovation, and people- to-people exchanges. They also discussed collaborative opportunities between India and Japan in strategic sectors and exchanged views on regional and global issues. Prime Minister Takaichi expressed strong support for the AI Summit to be hosted by India in February 2026.Prime Minister Modi also met the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney. The leaders welcomed the adoption of Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership which would give a boost to trilateral cooperation in the fields of critical technologies, nuclear energy, diversification of supply chains and AI. They appreciated the renewed momentum in ties since their June 2025 meeting in Kananaskis on the margins of the G7 Summit, and the launch of the New Roadmap for bilateral engagement by the Foreign Ministers in October 2025. The two Prime Ministers discussed cooperation in the fields of trade and The leaders agreed to begin negotiations on a high-ambition Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), aimed at doubling bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030. Both sides reaffirmed their longstanding civil nuclear cooperation and noted the ongoing discussions on expanding collaboration, including through long-term uranium supply arrangements.investment, defence, education, space, science and technology, and energy. Prime Minister Carney expressed support for the AI Summit to be hosted by India in February 2026.Prime Minister Modi also had an interaction with Ms. Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic. Prime Minister Meloni expressed solidarity with India on the terror incident in Delhi and reiterated Italy’s strong commitment to work together to combat the scourge of terrorism. In this context, both leaders adopted the ‘India-Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism’. The initiative aims to deepen bilateral cooperation on countering terrorism and collaboration in global and multilateral platforms including the Financial Action Task Force( FATF) and the Global Counter terrorism Forum (GCTF). The leaders reviewed and positively assessed the developments in the bilateral Strategic Partnership across sectors such as trade and investment, defence, security, space, science & technology, education, and people-to-people ties. Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the progress of the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29. The leaders welcomed the two Business Fora held in New Delhi and Brescia this year with robust participation of the respective industries. The leaders noted the ongoing efforts to increase business, technology, innovation and investment partnerships aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of both economies and building resilient supply chains. The leaders appreciated the recent visit of an Italian Space delegation to India, which would augment collaboration in this domain, both at the government as well as the private sector levels.