French President Emmanuel Macron electrified the India AI Impact Summit 2026 audience with a vivid anecdote about Mumbai’s street economy, illustrating India’s monumental digital revolution. Starting his speech with a warm ‘Namaste’ and gratitude to his hosts, he returned after his 2024 state visit, thrilled to be back for this pivotal AI gathering.
‘Ten years ago, a Mumbai cart vendor had no bank account—no address, no papers, no access. Today, he takes instant, free payments from anyone nationwide via his phone,’ Macron narrated. This isn’t just technology at work; it’s a civilizational shift, he emphasized.
He marveled at India’s unique feats: Aadhaar’s digital IDs for 1.4 billion citizens, UPI’s staggering 20 billion monthly transactions, and over 500 million digital health records issued. These scales are unmatched globally.
Macron recalled the Paris AI Action Summit co-hosted by France and India, where they set principles for AI to drive positive change in health, energy, transport, farming, and public services. Amid AI’s rise as a strategic battleground with Big Tech’s dominance, he lauded India’s focus on sovereign innovation—through efficient small language models and massive GPU support for startups via 38,000 units at low costs.
Concluding powerfully, Macron revisited the vendor tale: The world once scoffed at India’s digital dreams for its masses; India triumphed. Today, doubters say AI favors giants alone. But India, France, Europe, and allies can pioneer a responsible, innovative model, harnessing AI for humanity’s good. This partnership will define tomorrow’s AI landscape.