New Delhi, February 2026 —At the India AI Impact Summit 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a stirring tribute to India’s digital journey, framing the nation’s technological ascent as a model for the world. In a speech that balanced high-level diplomacy with ground-level impact, Macron argued that India has built something fundamentally unique: a digital identity that prioritizes people over profits.
The India Stack: A “Civilization Story”
Macron opened his address by contrasting the past and present of a Mumbai street vendor. A decade ago, such a vendor lacked a bank account or papers; today, they accept instant, free payments via smartphone.
This transformation is driven by the India Stack—a digital public infrastructure that provides identity for 1.4 billion people and processes 20 billion transactions monthly. Macron noted that this isn’t just a tech success; it’s a story of bringing an entire civilization into the digital age through open, sovereign, and interoperable systems.
Sovereign AI: The Battle of the Blocks
While global powers like the US and China pour hundreds of billions into massive, centralized models, Macron praised India for taking a “deliberate sovereign choice” to focus on Small Language Models (SMLs).
By developing task-specific AI that can run directly on smartphones, India is ensuring that technology remains “granular and smart” rather than just “big.” France is taking a complementary path by investing in European Large Language Models like Mistral, valued at 12 billion euro. Both nations, Macron argued, are united in their quest for strategic autonomy to ensure they aren’t merely markets for foreign tech giants.
Protecting the Next Generation
A highlight of the summit was the announcement of a new “coalition of the willing” to protect children online. Macron announced that France is embarking on a process to ban social networks for children under 15.
He extended a warm welcome to Prime Minister Modi and India for joining this club, emphasizing that protecting teenagers from digital abuse is not just “regulation”—it is a matter of protecting civilization itself.
Inclusive AI: From Farmers to Pilgrims
The true “impact” of the summit was reflected in how AI is being used to bridge India’s vast social divides:
- Agriculture: Providing solutions for 200 million farmers in their native dialects.
- Healthcare: Offering AI-driven diagnostics for rural clinics and issuing 500 million digital health IDs.
- Multilingual Access: Launching open-source hardware for translation into Indian dialects, ensuring no citizen is left behind by a language barrier.
Bottom Line
President Macron’s message was a rejection of the idea that AI is a game only for the richest blocks. By combining “frugal” innovation with human responsibility, the India-France partnership is betting that inclusive, safe, and sovereign technology will ultimately create more value than the raw “money race” of Silicon Valley.
