Big AI decisions incoming: Guwahati hosts key human capital meet before India AI Impact Summit 2026

The Working Group is chaired by Prof. T. G. Sitharam, Chair of the Human Capital Working Group and former Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The two-day meeting will bring together senior policymakers, academic leaders, industry experts, and practitioners to deliberate on the future of education, skilling, and workforce readiness in the era of Artificial Intelligence.

The event will see participation from Syedain Abbasi, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Government of Assam; K. S. Gopinath Narayan, IAAS, Principal Secretary (IT), Government of Assam; Ashwani Kumar, IAS, Director, IT Department, Government of Assam; Prof. Jalihal, Director, IIT Guwahati; Prof. Gautam Barua, Former Director, IIT Guwahati; and Smt. Shikha Dahiya, Joint Director, IndiaAI, MeitY, along with other senior government officials, academicians, and dignitaries.

The inaugural session will feature a Summit Address by Prof. T. G. Sitharam, outlining the Human Capital vision under the India AI Impact Summit framework.

Anchored in the principle of treating AI as a public utility, the Working Group Meeting will focus on designing inclusive, scalable, and responsible approaches to AI-led workforce transformation. Deliberations will place particular emphasis on education reform, gender-responsive AI strategies, and domain-specific augmentation of human capabilities, ensuring that AI adoption strengthens human potential rather than displacing it.

The agenda includes expert panel discussions on Gender-Responsive Strategies for the AI Transition, Redefining Education for the Cognitive Age, The Architecture of the National Language Translation Mission, Building an Inclusive and Empowered India, and The Reverse Engineering Approach to AI Education.

Collectively, these sessions will examine how India can reimagine learning systems, expand language access, and strengthen skills pathways to prepare citizens for an AI-enabled economy.

The Guwahati convening will serve as a key regional and thematic precursor to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled to be held from February 15 to 20, 2026, in New Delhi, where national and global stakeholders will converge to shape the future of inclusive, responsible, and impact-driven AI.

Outcomes from the Human Capital Working Group Meeting are expected to directly inform the Summit’s deliberations, reinforcing India’s commitment to building a resilient, future-ready workforce empowered to thrive alongside AI.