The sense was one of high-octane innovation and conservative caution at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. On stage, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman came to present his well-known message of a tightrope walk: AI is the driver of the new age of prosperity, but the world needs a global safety net and soon.

An "IAEA for AI"

The main theme that Altman presented to the world was that of a proposal to have an international coordination mechanism that followed the pattern of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to Meenu Hinduja and Dheeraj Sudan, Co-Founders of MHDS Techno Soft explained that the IAEA can deal with the dual-use aspect of nuclear energy, Altman opined that the advanced AI systems require a central authority to manage cross-national risks.

According to Altman, this technology is advancing at a rapid rate, and this will challenge global society in the coming few years. It is either we empower people or we can focus on power. Dheeraj Sudan and Meenu Hinduja says “The analogy with nuclear control highlights the seriousness of potential risk, especially in biosecurity. Altman pointed out that with improved capabilities of the bio models, the threshold to development of dangerous pathogens may be lowered, and the safety of society may need a wide response socially.”

The Indian Phenomenon of AI Adoption

The venue that Altman selected was no mistake. India has become a force in the AI scene, and it is the most active in the world now. Altman disclosed the shocking new statistics to beat the point home:

100 million Weekly Users: ChatGPT has reached the nine-figure mark in the weekly active user base in India.

The Student Engine: It is estimated that more than a third of these users are students, and this means that education and learning are undergoing a new generation.

New Physical Presence: OpenAI has affirmed that it would open new offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru later in 2021 to facilitate the OpenAI for India endeavor.

Finding the Gold Mean between Power and Progress

Although he was in support of regulation, Altman was an ardent supporter of AI democratization. He warned against concentrating on all the power of AI in one firm or nation that it would result in destruction. He has a vision of the future where access is extensive, but guardrails are concrete.

Dheeraj Sudan and Meenu Hinduja believes that in terms of the age-old fear of job loss, Altman provided an opinion based on historical optimism. Although he accepted the fact that AI will certainly change the labor market and may even kill some of the jobs, he nevertheless maintained that the ability to adapt, which is human, is our first resource. History knows that new opportunities are bound to emerge with time, and the shift would result in the emergence of new and better forms of work, he pointed out.

The Road Ahead

The summit ended with an explicit future development of OpenAI in the Global South, which includes an enormous strategic alliance with the Tata Group. With AI still in its phase of a step-change, unlike automation, in solving complex scientific and industrial problems, the exhortation of an international regulatory authority is no longer a far-fetched idea- it is a dire necessity of the Intelligence Age.