MANAV Vision for AI: India’s Human-Centric Framework for Ethical and Sovereign Artificial Intelligence

Prime Minister unveiled India’s comprehensive “MANAV Vision” for artificial intelligence at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

• At the India AI Summit 2026, India reinforced this commitment by securing a Guinness World Record with 2.5 lakh+ AI responsibility pledges, turning ethical AI into a mass movement.
• The next Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit in 2027 will be held in Geneva, Switzerland.

About M.A.N.A. V Vision

• It outlines a human-centric framework for ethical, accountable and inclusive AI governance. It rests on Five Pillars namely:
  • Pillar 1: ‘M’ stands for Moral and Ethical systems:
    • AI must be grounded in fairness, transparency, and human oversight.

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• • • Policy Support: India is institutionalising ethical AI from early education through the National Education Policy 2020, which integrates digital and AI literacy across levels. 
  • Pillar 2: ‘A’ stands for Accountable Governance
    • It emphasises transparency, robust oversight, and clear institutional responsibility to build trust in AI. 
    • Policy Support: 
      • The IndiaAI Mission, with an outlay of ₹10,300+ crore, strengthens compute, data, skilling, and innovation capacity.
      • India’s AI Governance Guidelines, which establish a people-centric framework rooted in trust, equity, accountability, and fairness.
  • Pillar 3: ‘N’ stands for national sovereignty – whose data, his right. ‘
    • In an AI-driven world, sovereignty extends to data, algorithms, and digital infrastructure. India aims to secure critical datasets, build domestic compute capacity, and promote indigenous AI models.
    • Policy Support: Initiatives like the India Semiconductor Mission and trusted data governance frameworks strengthen technological self-reliance while ensuring global collaboration with strategic autonomy.
  • Pillar 4: ‘A’ stands for accessible and inclusive 
    • It affirms that artificial intelligence must serve as a multiplier for society, not a monopoly of a privileged few.
    • Policy Support: Platforms like MeghRaj GI Cloud, IndiaAI Compute Portal, IndiaAI Kosh, and the National Supercomputing Mission democratise access to compute, data, and high-performance infrastructure, ensuring AI innovation in India remains broad-based, affordable, and inclusive.
  • Pillar 5: ‘V’ stands for valid and legitimate
    • It places Trust, Safety, and Legality at the centre of AI deployment. 
      • AI systems must be verifiable, lawful, and transparent particularly at a time when deepfakes and synthetic media pose risks to democratic discourse and social trust.
    • Policy Support: The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026, regulate synthetically generated content, while the IndiaAI Mission’s Safe and Trusted AI pillar promotes bias mitigation, privacy safeguards, and algorithmic audits—ensuring accountable and responsible AI deployment.

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Significance

• Guiding Framework for Global AI Ecosystem: The MANAV Vision will guide the global AI ecosystem, positioning India as a key contributor to humanity’s welfare in the 21st-century AI era.
• From Framework to Implementation: India’s M.A.N.A.V. vision moves beyond conceptual framework, translating its principles into coordinated action across education, digital infrastructure, governance, and innovation through sustained policy commitment.

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