India ‘very successful’ emerging economy; right place to host AI summit: UN Chief Guterres
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said India is a “very successful” emerging economy with greater influence on global affairs and is the “right place” to host the artificial intelligence summit.
In an exclusive interview with PTI Speaking at the UN Headquarters before the India-Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit 2026, Guterres underlined that artificial intelligence should not be a privilege reserved only for developed countries or two superpowers, but should benefit the whole world.
“I strongly congratulate India for organizing this Summit. It is absolutely crucial that AI advances itself everywhere, for the benefit of everyone, and that countries in the Global South are part of the benefits of AI,” he said.
The high-powered event, which will be held from 16 February to 20 February, will be the first AI summit held in the Global South and will be based on the three guiding principles of ‘People, Planet and Progress’.
Mr Guterres, who will travel to India to attend the summit, argued that “it would be absolutely unacceptable for artificial intelligence to be the prerogative of only the most developed countries or a division between only two superpowers”, clearly referring to the US and China.
“It is absolutely essential that artificial intelligence becomes a universal tool for the benefit of humanity,” Mr. Guterres said.
“India’s role [which] Today it is a very successful, emerging economy with an increasingly larger role not only in the global economy but also in terms of its influence in global affairs; India is committed to organizing this Summit and [is] “With all its enormous potential and also all its risks, it is being discussed in depth, but artificial intelligence belongs to the whole world, not just a few people,” he said.
From world leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to tech experts like Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, the Summit brings together leaders, policymakers, and innovators from around the world for in-depth discussions on the advancement of artificial intelligence.
Guterres had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg late last year and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar while in New York.
Underlining his strong advocacy for multipolarity, Mr. Guterres underlined India’s contribution to a multipolar world and said he looked forward to discussing this issue with Indian leaders during his visit to New Delhi.
“There are two things we need to avoid in the world. We need to avoid the system in which a single power establishes total hegemony or the system in which the world is divided between two superpowers,” he said.
Mr. Guterres added that he is a “very strong advocate” of the need for true multipolarity in the world.
For true multipolarity, it is important for developing economies to play an “increasingly higher” role and establish a “stronger” network of trade, technological and international cooperation relations.
In this context, he said the recent trade agreement between India and the European Union was a “good example”. “India is one of the most relevant emerging economies,” he said.
“Increasingly, around the world, we see the creation of a network of all developed countries, but also, and very importantly, developing economies, creating true multipolarity without any hegemony and allowing multilateral organizations to be effective,” he said. Emphasizing the importance of multipolarity, Mr. Guterres expressed his “disappointment” with the failure of the UN Security Council to find solutions to conflicts and maintain international peace and security.
“When you look at the UN, you can imagine my disappointment when I saw that the Security Council was unable to make decisions, and it is clear that we need fundamental reform in the Security Council, firstly, to represent the world as it is today, not after the Second World War. Secondly, to be able to make effective decisions for peace and security around the world.” he said.
Mr. Guterres added that for a “fair” multilateral system at both the UN and international financial institutions, developing economies must have a stronger voice and be at the center of this networking.
“I see India at the center of emerging economies and this is something I would be happy to discuss with Prime Minister Modi because I have a lot of hope for the role India can play in shaping this multipolar world,” he said.
Mr. Guterres will be joined by senior UN leaders at the summit, including UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk and Deputy Secretary-General and UN Secretary-General’s Technology Envoy Amandeep Singh Gill.
Mr. Guterres also underlined that it is “always great” to go to India, “a democracy with tremendous diversity and extraordinary civilization and culture.” The UN chief noted that he now reads that India has been the main factor in the transformation of the world over the centuries, “starting hundreds of years before Christ and continuing through the centuries with the tremendous influence of Indian culture and Indian civilization that we can see in China, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.”
“Even during the time of the Roman Empire, there were very strong connections with India and a very significant influence of Indian culture in what is today the Mediterranean region. So it is always a great pleasure to visit India,” Mr. Guterres said.
It was published – 15 February 2026 10:02 IST
