For all that Bharat Mandapam’s halls were meant to demonstrate the promise of “Responsible AI,” the day of opening at the AI Impact Summit 2026 left thousands of delegates, founders, and students confronted with very old-world problems in their prime: dehydration, overcrowding, and a fundamental absence of communication.
A Disconnect Between Ambition and Execution
With more than 1.5 lakh registrations, the summit’s scale seems to have surpassed the venue’s infrastructure. Attendees took to social media to vent their frustrations, which is a stark contrast to the "slickly marketed" event.
- The “Water Crisis": Several participants reported a total lack of drinking water in public spaces. Punit Jain, Reskill founder, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), noting the delegates were stranded for hours, with minimal hydration or clarity.
- Entry Paralysis: Queues started at 7:00 AM and security checks for laptop bags took up to 45 minutes. Multiple gates were said to be locked by mid-afternoon to try to control the ‘heavy crowd’ that was inside, so that even exhibitors with paid stalls could not enter.
- Connectivity Irony: In what was commonly referred to as the “ultimate irony,” the mobile internet was spotty or could not be relied upon throughout the venue reportedly because there had been signal jammers deployed for high-level security movements.
Security vs. Accessibility
The chaos grew to a head around midday when a sudden “full evacuation” was ordered to sanitize the premises in preparation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned arrival at the AI Expo.
An AI Summit that sidelines its own builders?
— Punit Jain (@punit__jain) February 16, 2026
• 7 AM queues
• 9 AM entry
• 12 PM full evacuation
• Hours of sanitization
• PM visit at 5 PM
. Day 1 Ends here
Meanwhile — exhibitors, delegates, startup founders left outside. No water. No clarity.
Media shows celebration.… pic.twitter.com/u6hXBbiDG6
The experience, said NeoSapien Chief Executive Officer Dhananjay Yadav, had to be “painful” as his team faced being forced to vacate their booth with little notice. He went on to claim that prototype AI wearables disappeared during a security sweep, with serious implications for asset safety in a high-security area.
Social Media Backlash
As users joked about the lack of AI in the event’s own management, the hashtag #AISummitDelhi became trending for all the wrong reasons. “Can we maybe deploy some AI to manage… the summit?” one person joked, noting that the food at the event is still done manually and the counters are just cash-only counters.
The Road Ahead
Despite the logistical nightmares, the summit, organized around the themes of People, Planet and Progress, is slated to continue through February 20. Organizers face increased pressure to resolve both aspects of their “last-mile” experience and hospitality where more than 20 heads of state and 500 global AI leaders are expected to gather in the capital in the days ahead.
