The inaugural India chapter of the world’s premier AI governance recognition platform will convene policymakers, enterprise leaders, academics and innovators across 20+ award categories and four pillars of AI excellence.
New Delhi, 11 September 2026 — With just five days to go, Knowledge Networks is all set for the Universal AI Awards 2026 — India Edition, the inaugural India chapter of the world’s premier recognition platform for excellence in AI policy, ethics, responsible AI and governance. The full-day summit and gala ceremony will be held on 17 September 2026 at the Hyatt Regency, New Delhi, from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
Positioned around the theme “India: The AI Powerhouse for Tomorrow,” the India Edition brings together policymakers, enterprise leaders, academics and innovators to honour those who are not merely deploying AI, but governing it responsibly, scaling it ethically and applying it for genuine public good. With one of the world’s largest developer ecosystems and a rapidly expanding national AI mission, India is no longer a follower in the global AI story but a governance frontier — and the awards exist to document, celebrate and set the standard for what responsible AI leadership looks like in the world’s most populous democracy.
The New Delhi ceremony opens the global program, with the next stop and Grand Finale in Miami in December 2026, held alongside the G20 Summit.
“India’s moment in AI governance is now. This inaugural edition is about recognising the leaders, institutions and innovators who are proving that responsible AI and world-class ambition can advance together,” Sanjay Puri, Founder & Chairman, Universal AI Awards, Knowledge Networks
PROGRAM AGENDA — 17 SEPTEMBER 2026
The India Edition runs as a single full-day experience combining a conference, awards ceremony, networking and cocktail reception. The day opens at 10:00 AM with registration and a delegate welcome, where attendees check in, collect delegate kits and network over welcome refreshments. The morning moves into keynote sessions and leadership addresses on India’s AI governance agenda, followed by afternoon panel discussions, fireside chats and closed-door roundtables with jury members and industry leaders. The evening culminates in the Universal AI Awards gala ceremony across all 23 categories, before a networking cocktail reception that runs until 8:00 PM. The full-day programme takes place at the Hyatt Regency, New Delhi.
ADVISORY BOARD
The Advisory Board shapes the platform’s governance, jury composition and global positioning, serving as founding voices of the recognition platform. It comprises Dr. Ashish Jha, Co-Founder of BioRadar; Mr. Vivek Lall, Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation; Mr. Toby Walsh, Laureate Fellow and Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New South Wales (UNSW); Ms. María Elena Agüero, Secretary General of Club de Madrid; Mr. Nenad Mijatovic, Vice President of Digital Technology at Alstom; and Dr. Aminata Touré, former Prime Minister of Senegal.
JURY & EVALUATION PANEL
An independent jury of senior policymakers, enterprise leaders, academics and civil-society champions evaluates every nomination for expertise, credibility and geographic diversity. The India Edition panel features Dr. Avik Sarkar, Faculty and Senior Researcher at the Indian School of Business and former Head of the Data Analytics Cell at NITI Aayog; L. Venkata Subramaniam, former Head of IBM Quantum India; Sujeet Kumar, Member of Parliament, Parliament of India; Major Vineet Kumar, Founder and Global President of CyberPeace; Nemesisa Ujjain, Vice President and Head of The Circle: Founders Club; Kavita Bhatia, Scientist ‘G’ and Group Coordinator for AI & Emerging Technology and Bhashini at the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY); Kalika Bali, Principal Researcher specialising in NLP, speech technology and multilingual AI; Ankit Bose, Head of AI at Nasscom; and Rupali Gupta, Global Head of AI & Platform Engineering at Dunnhumby.
Nominations are assessed across five dimensions: scale and measurable impact; innovation and originality of approach; commitment to ethical principles and transparency; stakeholder engagement and inclusive governance; and replicability and contribution to global knowledge.
SPEAKER HIGHLIGHTS
The India Edition stage brings together leaders from government, enterprise, academia and civil society, including Mr. Ramesh Narayanaswamy, Group President – Digital & Data Intelligence at Hinduja Group Limited; Anita Gurumurthy, Executive Director of IT for Change; Sudhanshu Mittal, Director of Technical Solutions at NASSCOM; Vikram Malhotra, Director of AI Technology Strategy at Microsoft; Jibu Elias, Country Lead – India at Mozilla; Dr. S.K. Meher, Chief Information Officer and Head of Health-IT at AIIMS New Delhi; Ashwin Raguraman, Co-Founder and Partner at Bharat Innovation Fund; Atul Rai, CEO and Co-founder of Staqu Technologies; Saakshar Duggal, AI Governance and Law Expert at the Global AI Leaders Forum; Shri Janardhana Swamy, former Member of Parliament and former Member of the Council of IITs; Ashok Kalra, Associate Director at Deloitte; and Chandni Nanda, Associate Director – Lead AI/ML at UnitedHealth Group — and many more.
AWARD CATEGORIES
The India Edition recognises the full spectrum of AI leadership across 23 categories, grouped under four pillars — from enterprise transformation and technology innovation to responsible governance and social impact:
Pillar 1 — Enterprise & Industry Transformation
- AI in Financial Services & FinTech
- AI in Healthcare & Life Sciences
- AI in D2C / E-Commerce Platforms
- AI in Manufacturing & Industry 4.0
- AI in Food & Beverage (F&B) Sector
- AI in Mobility & Transportation
- AI Startup of the Year
- AI in Education
- AI in Consumer Products
- AI in Agriculture & Rural Impact
- AI Transformation of the Year
Pillar 2 — Innovation & Technology
- Generative AI Application of the Year
- Innovative Use of AI for Marketing & Communication
- AI Innovation of the Year — Product / Platform / Solution
- AI in Robotics & Automation
- AI in Cybersecurity & Digital Trust
- AI-Powered Augmented / Virtual Reality Systems
Pillar 3 — Leadership
- Visionary Leader of the Year
- Chief Data & Analytics Officer of the Year
- AI Entrepreneur of the Year
- Academicians / Research Professionals
Pillar 4 — Social Impact
- AI for Social Good
- AI in Sustainability / Climate Impact
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
The awards convene a curated community of decision-makers for whom AI governance is a strategic priority: Chief Executive Officers; Chief AI and Chief Data Officers; Chief Financial Officers; Members of Parliament and public-policy officials; global investors and board directors; senior academics and think-tank leaders; and civil-society and NGO heads.
PROCESS ADVISOR & MEDIA PARTNERS
EY serves as Process Advisor for the awards. Official Media Partners include StartupNews.fyi, Mojo4Industry, SiliconIndia, Industry Events, The Global Hues, MBA.ai, Capitalbay News, Times of AI, Times International, ET Edge Insights, International Business Magazine and Science Matters.
About the Universal AI Awards
The Universal AI Awards is a Knowledge Networks initiative — the world’s premier recognition platform for excellence in AI policy, ethics, responsible AI and governance. The 2026 global program opens with the India Edition in New Delhi (September 2026) and culminates in the Grand Finale in Miami (December 2026), held alongside the G20 Summit. Each edition features gala ceremonies, VIP networking, closed-door roundtables, keynote sessions and panel discussions. Nomination is free and open to individuals, organisations and institutions.