Irish Minister welcomes India's "thematic focus" on AI being an all-inclusive tool

New Delhi [India], February 16 (ANI): Ireland's Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers, on Monday praised India's approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI), welcoming its emphasis on inclusivity and its vision of using AI as a force for good.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in the national capital, Chambers said the event fosters a broader global conversation on AI and underlined that the technology is here to stay.
"I really welcome it. I think it brings that kind of broader connection, a conversation globally on AI. It's here for good and it has to be a force for good too," he said.
The Irish Minister appreciated India's thematic focus on AI as an all-inclusive tool, noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has placed strong emphasis on the digitisation of public services across sectors such as healthcare and agriculture. Chambers said these objectives resonate with Ireland's own priorities.
"I welcome the thematic focus from India in terms of being an all-inclusive tool. Prime Minister Modi's focus in terms of digitalisation of public services is an objective I share in terms of healthcare, agriculture and other areas which I know are priorities for India. We're trying to be ambitious on AI and digitising our public services in a similar way," the Irish Minister stated.
Earlier today, the India AI Impact Summit 2026 commenced at Bharat Mandapam, marking the first global AI gathering hosted in the Global South.
Anchored on three foundational pillars, or 'Sutras'--People, Planet, and Progress--and structured around seven thematic 'Chakras', the Summit is aimed at fostering inclusive, development-oriented, and responsible artificial intelligence (AI) while strengthening international cooperation.
For People, AI-enabled solutions are empowering citizens by expanding healthcare access through telemedicine and diagnostics, personalising education through adaptive learning, and securing financial systems through fraud detection.
For the Planet, AI is enabling smarter, more sustainable agricultural practices through crop prediction, precision farming, and drone-based monitoring.
For Progress, AI is strengthening governance by translating court judgements, improving service delivery, and enhancing everyday efficiency through applications in food delivery, mobility, and personalised digital services, reflecting a shift towards inclusive and accessible technology for both rural and urban India.
The seven 'Chakras' guiding the Summit focus on critical areas including Human Capital, Inclusion for Social Empowerment, Safe and Trusted AI, Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency, Science, democratising AI Resources, and AI for Economic Growth & Social Good, ensuring multilateral cooperation and practical outcomes for society.
Highlighting Ireland's future roadmap, Chambers said the country has committed to major infrastructure investments over the coming years to strengthen its position as a global hub for technology and digital infrastructure.
He noted that this would create opportunities for Indian companies seeking to expand into the European Union while also opening avenues for Irish enterprises to collaborate with India.
Referring to India's growing technology ecosystem, Chambers acknowledged the country's vast talent pool in AI and technology, expressing optimism about deeper bilateral cooperation.
"We have a big infrastructure investment over the next number of years to ensure that Ireland is a place of continued tech and digital infrastructure in the longer term and that will bring opportunities for Indian companies who want to invest in the European Union but also for Irish enterprises looking to India as well in terms of the huge talent pool that's here in terms of tech and AI and we look forward to seeing some of the outcomes from the AI summit," he added. (ANI)