New Delhi: Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here in the national capital. Pichai is here for the Global AI Impact Summit 2026 and will deliver the keynote address on February 20 at the summit. Earlier, upon arrival, in a post on X, CEO Pichai said, “Nice to be back in India for the AI Impact Summit – a very warm welcome as always and the papers looked great too.” The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is being held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. It started on February 16 and will run up to February 20, 2026. The Summit brought together government policymakers, industry AI experts, academicians, technology innovators and civil society from across the world at New Delhi to advance global discussions on artificial intelligence. Add Zee News as a Preferred Source The India AI Impact Summit, the first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South, aims to reflect on the transformative potential of AI, aligning with the national vision of “Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya” (welfare for all, happiness for all) and the global principle of AI for Humanity. Meanwhile, in a special interview with ANI’s text service, the Prime Minister spoke about the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the IT industry and the government’s strategy to strengthen the sector. “India’s IT sector has been the backbone of our services exports and a key driver of economic growth. AI presents both a tremendous opportunity and a challenge for this sector. AI market projections show India’s IT sector could reach $400 billion by 2030, driven by new waves of AI-enabled outsourcing and domain-specific automation,” he said. The Summit will have participation of more than 110 countries, 30 International organizations, including about 20 HoS/HoG level participation, about 45 Ministers. The AI summit is part of an evolving international process aimed at strengthening global cooperation on the governance, safety, and societal impact of AI. The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is guided by three Sutras or foundational pillars – People, Planet, and Progress. These sutras articulate the core principles for global cooperation on artificial intelligence. They aim to promote human-centric AI that safeguards rights and ensures equitable benefits across societies, environmentally sustainable advancement of AI, and inclusive economic and technological advancement.

New Delhi: Google CEO Sundar Pichai arrived here in the national capital on Wednesday for the Global AI Impact Summit 2026. Pichai will deliver the keynote address on February 20 at the summit. In a post on X, CEO Pichai said, “Nice to be back in India for the AI Impact Summit – a very warm welcome as always and the papers looked great too.” Meanwhile, in a special interview with ANI’s text service, the Prime Minister spoke about the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the IT industry and the government’s strategy to strengthen the sector. “India’s IT sector has been the backbone of our services exports and a key driver of economic growth. AI presents both a tremendous opportunity and a challenge for this sector. AI market projections show India’s IT sector could reach $400 billion by 2030, driven by new waves of AI-enabled outsourcing and domain-specific automation,” he said. Add Zee News as a Preferred Source The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is being held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. It started on February 16 and will run up to February 20, 2026. The Summit brought together government policymakers, industry AI experts, academicians, technology innovators and civil society from across the world at New Delhi to advance global discussions on artificial intelligence. The India AI Impact Summit, the first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South, aims to reflect on the transformative potential of, AI, aligning with the national vision of “Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya” (welfare for all, happiness for all) and the global principle of AI for Humanity. The Summit will have participation of more than 110 countries, 30 International organizations, including about 20 HoS/HoG level participation, about 45 Ministers. The AI summit is part of an evolving international process aimed at strengthening global cooperation on the governance, safety, and societal impact of AI. The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is guided by three Sutras or foundational pillars – People, Planet, and Progress. These sutras articulate the core principles for global cooperation on artificial intelligence. They aim to promote human-centric AI that safeguards rights and ensures equitable benefits across societies, environmentally sustainable advancement of AI, and inclusive economic and technological advancement.

YouTube suffered a widespread outage on Tuesday, halting video access for users across multiple countries, including India and the United States. Hundreds of thousands reported failures to load videos and use related services amid the disruption. Early in the disruption, Google acknowledged the issue in a public statement from TeamYouTube, stating, “We’re aware some of you are having issues accessing YouTube right now. Our teams are aware, and we’ll provide updates as soon as we have them.” Add Zee News as a Preferred Source If you’re having trouble accessing YouTube right now, you’re not alone — our teams are looking into this and will follow up here with updates: https://t.co/7iTU5S9AgT — TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) February 18, 2026 YouTube’s help page detailed that a glitch in the recommendations system blocked videos from loading across platforms like the homepage, app, YouTube Music, and YouTube Kids. While the homepage recovered, teams continued working on a complete resolution. Downdetector reported a massive spike in reports, peaking at over 320,000 in the US alone, with India seeing more than 19,000 complaints in the morning hours, confirming the outage’s worldwide reach beyond any single region. Users encountered app and website crashes, unplayable videos, and constant “something went wrong” alerts during the disruption. YouTube TV and select Google services also faced heightened complaints, pointing to an underlying platform-wide fault. Downdetector’s user-reported data, peaking sharply, highlighted the chaos, though not exhaustive; social media erupted with global accounts of synced access breakdowns. Recently, X, formerly Twitter, suffered a significant outage on February 16, disrupting access for over 40,000 users primarily in the US and UK. Users encountered blank timelines, app crashes, and “Something went wrong” errors on both mobile and desktop, mirroring issues seen in YouTube’s recent global downtime. This wave of major platform downtimes underscores growing vulnerabilities in global tech infrastructure, raising questions about redundancy amid surging user reliance.  

AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi: Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Tuesday inaugurated the WAVES Creators Corner during the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Vaishnaw emphasized the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in creative content and encouraged people to be mindful of how AI is used. “AI is being used very effectively in the world of creative content. The way startups and companies are showcasing their use of technology here is impressive. In particular, you should definitely check out Kuku’s platform. It has immense potential,” Vaishnaw said. Earlier, Vaishnaw mentioned that India is expected to add another 20,000 GPUs, bringing the total capacity to over 38,000 GPUs, aiming to strengthen the country’s AI compute infrastructure. A GPU, or Graphics Processing Unit, is a powerful computer chip that helps machines process tasks faster, handle images, run AI programs, and perform complex computations more efficiently than a regular processor. Add Zee News as a Preferred Source Under the IndiaAI Mission, more than 38,000 high-end GPUs have been onboarded and are available at about Rs 65 per hour, roughly one-third of the global average cost. Speaking to reporters, Vaishnaw said the next phase of India’s AI strategy will focus on design, research, and development, moving beyond foundational infrastructure to building solutions tailored to India’s specific needs. He also indicated that AI-related investments at the Summit are likely to exceed USD 200 billion, including USD 90 billion already committed. The government is in talks with several large companies about further AI infrastructure investments, though names cannot yet be disclosed. He highlighted that AI awareness initiatives are already being implemented in schools across both rural and urban areas, incorporating India’s cultural context and regional languages in AI development. On the regulatory front, Vaishnaw noted that a broad consensus is emerging among global leaders on a techno-legal approach to AI governance. India is currently collaborating with around 30 countries on technology and policy development in artificial intelligence. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, also launched two pioneering digital health initiatives — SAHI (Secure AI for Health Initiative) and BODH (Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI) — during the Summit. The launch marks a significant milestone in advancing safe, ethical, and evidence-based deployment of AI in India’s healthcare ecosystem. Describing the Summit as both timely and necessary, Nadda said that AI has the “fundamental power” to transform every aspect of the economy, with healthcare at its core. “AI today is no longer a futuristic idea; it has the fundamental power to transform every aspect of our economy. Healthcare is at the very heart of this transformation. AI does not operate in isolation but thrives on strong digital infrastructure and high-quality data,” he said. The Summit positions India as a convenor and partner in global AI cooperation, supporting shared standards, collaborative frameworks, and scalable solutions for public good. It signifies a transition from dialogue to delivery, reinforcing India’s commitment to responsible, inclusive, and development-focused AI pathways. 

India’s First AI Finance Model: India has taken a significant step in artificial intelligence with the launch of FiMI, short for Finance Model for India. It is the country’s first domain-specific AI model built specifically for the digital payments ecosystem. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced the launch at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi NPCI’s UPI help assistant FiMI has been developed in-house to understand and manage a wide range of payment-related processes. It supports UPI transactions, handles disputes, manages mandates, and responds to regulatory queries. The model is designed to make India’s fast-growing digital payments system more efficient and reliable.  Finance Model for India (FiMI): Features    Add Zee News as a Preferred Source It is an AI-powered conversational support system created for UPI users. The assistant uses an advanced AI framework that can think through multiple steps to answer payment-related questions, resolve complaints, and help manage mandates. Currently, this AI model supports English, Hindi, Telugu, and Bengali. The company plans to add more Indian languages over the next six to eight months to make the service accessible to a wider audience. (Also Read: India’s First AI Smart Glasses unveiled: PM Modi becomes first person to try ‘Sarvam Kaze’; Check expected Meta Ray-Ban Rival features, launch timeline and Edge AI Model) NPCI’s UPI Help Assistant: Why FiMI is built   FiMI has been built to understand the complexities of India’s payment systems, especially UPI. It can handle transaction disputes, manage the full lifecycle of mandates, and respond to regulatory and ecosystem-related queries. At NPCI, sovereignty has always been central to our mission of ensuring safe and secure digital transactions for India. Extending this vision to AI, we built FiMI (Finance Model for India) — a domain-specialized language model trained on multibillion tokens of India-specific,… pic.twitter.com/OFx7egDCrJ — NPCI (@NPCI_NPCI) February 17, 2026 The model was continuously pre-trained and later fine-tuned using Indian financial data and specially generated payments data. This helps it deliver accurate responses, use structured tools effectively, and support multiple languages.  It is designed specifically for payments. FiMI can work reliably in real-world, high-volume transaction environments where accuracy, consistency, and trust are essential. (Also Read: India AI Summit 2026 Day 2: Microsoft founder Bill Gates to attend global event, Gates foundation clarifies after name dropped amid Epstein files backlash) FiMI AI Model set for advanced upgrades Looking ahead, NPCI is working to further improve the model. The team is testing new AI architectures to help the system scale better and learn more efficiently. Their main focus is to enhance its intelligence while ensuring it remains reliable and secure for the millions of users who depend on India’s national payment infrastructure every day. 

India’s First SmartAI-powered Glasses Sarvam Kaze: PM Modi became the first person to try the new AI-powered glasses, ‘Sarvam Kaze’, at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Developed by Indian startup Sarvam AI, the device is an indigenous AI wearable designed like regular spectacles.  The company recently teased Sarvam Kaze, marking its entry into hardware and stepping into a segment currently dominated by global brands such as Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta Vanguard. The AI-powered glasses are expected to debut in India in May, although the company has not yet revealed specifications or key details.  On Monday evening, PM Modi also inaugurated the India AI Expo at Bharat Mandapam, where he interacted with several emerging technologies, including Sarvam Kaze. The wearable device is designed, developed, and built entirely in India.  Add Zee News as a Preferred Source Sarvam Kaze runs on homegrown AI technology, highlighting the country’s growing capabilities in advanced hardware innovation. Its launch is significant as it could become the first ‘Made in India’ AI wearable, marking the startup’s formal entry into the wearables market. Reports also suggest the company may be exploring wearable rings as part of its future product lineup. (Also Read: Vivo V70, Vivo V70 Elite India launch for Feb 19, could debut with 6,500mAh battery; Check expected display, camera, price, pre-bookings date and more) India’s First AI-powered Glass: Sarvam Kaze features (Expected) India’s First AI-powered Glass is expected to shift intelligence from traditional screens to the real world, making AI interaction more natural and seamless. The glasses are engineered to listen, understand, respond, and even capture what the wearer sees, integrating AI directly into everyday life.  They are also likely to support custom experiences built through the Sarvam platform, pointing to the company’s broader vision of creating a developer ecosystem around the device rather than just launching a consumer product.  In terms of functionality, the wearable is anticipated to offer core smart glasses features such as audio-visual capture and voice-enabled AI assistance, although detailed specifications and pricing have not yet been disclosed. Adding further, the startup is developing large language and speech models for Indian languages aimed at powering voice interfaces, document processing and citizen services.  Sarvam Edge AI model features  Ahead of the Sarvam Kaze launch, the company introduced its Sarvam Edge AI model. This model is designed to run directly on devices such as smartphones and laptops, without depending on cloud servers. It is expected to deliver faster responses, better privacy, and allow users to access AI tools even without an internet connection. (Also Read: India’s Slimmest Big-Battery Phone: iQOO 15R India launch on Feb 24, could debut with Q2 gaming chip and One Tap Transfer; Check expected price) Sarvam is one of 12 organisations selected by the Indian government to develop AI models trained on Indian datasets. During the summit, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also highlighted the need for building sovereign AI models in the country.

Vivo V70 Series India Launch Date: Chinese smartphone brand Vivo is preparing to expand its V series in India. The company is set to launch the Vivo V70 and Vivo V70 Elite smartphones on February 19, 2026, at 12 PM IST. The Vivo V70 is expected to be available in Passion Red and Lemon Yellow colour options. Meanwhile, the Vivo V70 Elite may come in Passion Red, Sand Beige, and Authentic Black. The Vivo V70 is likely to be offered in two variants. The V70 Elite, on the other hand, could feature up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of internal storage. Both smartphones are teased to have ultra-slim 1.25mm bezels, which are claimed to be the narrowest in the under Rs 50,000 segment in India.   Vivo V70 specifications (Expected) Add Zee News as a Preferred Source The standard Vivo V70 is expected to come with a 6.59-inch OLED display that supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth visuals. The smartphone is rumoured to be powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor. The phone may also pack a large 6,500mAh battery with fast charging support. On the photography front, the device is likely to feature Zeiss-tuned lenses for better photo quality. It may include a 50MP main camera, a 50MP night telephoto lens, an 8MP ultra-wide camera. For selfies and quality video calls, there is a 50MP shooter at the front. (Also Read: India’s Slimmest Big-Battery Phone: iQOO 15R India launch on Feb 24, could debut with Q2 gaming chip and One Tap Transfer; Check expected price) Vivo V70 Elite specifications (Expected) The Vivo V70 Elite is expected to feature a 6.59-inch OLED display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz for smooth performance. It may offer a peak brightness of up to 5,000 nits, making the screen easily visible even under direct sunlight. The phone is likely to be powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor and could pack a 6,500mAh battery with 90W fast charging support. The device is also tipped to come with an IP68 or IP69 rating for dust and water resistance. For photography, it may sport a triple rear camera setup, including a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP night telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and an 8MP ultra-wide camera.  For selfies and quality video calls, there is a 50MP shooter at the front.  Vivo V70 and V70 Elite India price in India and pre-bookings date According to the leak, the Vivo V70 may be priced at Rs 45,999 for the 8GB + 256GB variant and Rs 49,999 for the 12GB + 256GB model. The Vivo V70 Elite is expected to start at Rs 51,999 for the 8GB + 256GB version. The 12GB + 256GB model could be priced at Rs 56,999, while the top-end 12GB + 512GB variant may cost Rs 61,999. (Also Read: India AI Summit 2026 Day 2: Microsoft founder Bill Gates to attend global event, Gates foundation clarifies after name dropped amid Epstein files backlash) The Pre-bookings are likely to begin on February 12 and continue until February 24, with sales starting from February 25. The launch event will be streamed live at 12 PM IST on YouTube and Vivo’s official social media channels. 

iQOO 15R India Launch Date: Chinese smartphone brand iQOO will launch the iQOO 15R in India on February 24. The phone is expected to offer strong performance, making it a good choice for gaming and heavy daily use. The company calls it a “Perfect Fit” device that delivers powerful performance while still being comfortable to use. The iQOO 15R will be available in Triumph Silver and Dark Knight colour options.  The iQOO 15R is designed especially for young professionals. It comes with a productivity-focused Office Kit experience, making it suitable for both work and everyday tasks. Whether you are checking emails, reviewing documents, joining video calls, or using multiple apps at the same time, the phone aims to provide a smooth and hassle-free experience on the go. The phone will ship with Android 16-based OriginOS 6, similar to recent smartphones. The company has promised four Android version updates and six years of security patches.   Add Zee News as a Preferred Source iQOO 15R: One Tap Transfer and AI Feature (Expected) With One Tap Transfer, users can quickly move apps, data, and files between Android and iOS devices in just a few seconds, making upgrades easy. The phone runs on OriginOS 6 out of the box and promises 4 years of OS updates along with 6 years of security updates, ensuring long-term reliability and stable performance. (Also Read: India AI Summit 2026 Day 2: Microsoft founder Bill Gates to attend global event, Gates foundation clarifies after name dropped amid Epstein files backlash) The iQOO 15R also comes with several advanced AI features designed to make daily tasks easier and boost creativity. AI Creation in the Notes app helps users rewrite content, generate new text, summarise documents, and correct grammar effortlessly. AI Captions provide real-time transcription, translation, and text summaries. AI Screen Translation and AI Call Translation make communication across different languages smooth and simple. With support for Google Gemini and AI Circle to Search, users can search and interact with content in a more intuitive way. For photography and imaging, the device includes AI Erase to remove unwanted objects, AI Reflection Erase to reduce mirror glare, and AI Magic Move to adjust or resize elements in a photo. AI Image Expander helps extend backgrounds for better framing, while AI Image Cut Out allows users to quickly extract subjects and turn them into stickers or shareable images. AI Document Scanning further improves productivity, making the iQOO 15R a useful companion for both work and creative tasks.  iQOO 15R Specifications (Expected)  The iQOO 15R is expected to come with a large 6.59-inch AMOLED display featuring a 1.5K resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. It may also support adaptive refresh rate switching for smoother and more fluid visuals. The smartphone is likely to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, offering flagship-level performance at a competitive price. The  iQOO 15R may sport a massive 7600mAh battery with 100W FlashCharge support. Despite the large battery, the device is claimed to be India’s slimmest smartphone in this battery category, providing long-lasting power without feeling bulky. The iQOO 15R may offer up to 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage. For gaming, the company is expected to include a dedicated Q2 gaming chip to deliver low latency and better performance. In terms of cameras, the phone is tipped to feature a 200MP main camera with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 32MP front camera for selfies. (Also Read: Oppo K14x 5G goes on sale in India with discount; Check display, battery, camera, AI features and more) On the design front, the device is expected to have smooth, rounded edges for a premium look. The back panel may include a square-shaped camera module with softly rounded corners.  iQOO 15R Price In India (Expected) The Amazon microsite also hints at the pricing of the iQOO 15R. The company has confirmed that the smartphone will be priced under Rs 50,000 in India, placing it in the same segment as rivals like the OnePlus 15R, starting at Rs 47,999.  

Bill Gates India AI Impact Summit 2026: Microsoft founder Bill Gates will attend the AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the Gates Foundation confirmed, dismissing media reports that claimed he would not be present amid the Epstein files backlash. The clarification came after confusion arose when his name was briefly dropped from the list of key participants for the summit. Gates continues to be listed among the key participants, alongside top technology leaders such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. However, Bill Gates is currently listed on the summit’s official website among technology executives, industry leaders, policymakers, founders and technologists. The event is scheduled to take place from February 16 to 20. His name, however, was not visible on the website on Tuesday, which sparked speculation about whether he would attend.  Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation, is attending the India AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled: Gates Foundation spokesperson (file pic) pic.twitter.com/k9OZyEqZKW — ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2026 Add Zee News as a Preferred Source Epstein files backlash and documents  The confusion over his participation came after fresh social media reactions to a new batch of documents linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. Portions of the documents released by the US Justice Department mentioned Gates’ name. One note cited in the documents claims that Epstein allegedly said he had helped Gates obtain drugs “to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls.” Gates has strongly denied any wrongdoing. In an interview with Nine News, he described the allegations as “absolutely absurd and completely false,” and rejected claims that he had contracted a sexually transmitted disease during his marriage to Melinda French Gates.

Bill Gates India AI Impact Summit 2026: Microsoft founder Bill Gates will no longer attend the upcoming India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, according to media reports. The government is said to have reviewed his invitation after his name was mentioned in the Epstein Files. The government wishes to “stand with the survivors”, as per NDTV reports.  Earlier this week, Bill Gates had arrived in Amaravati ahead of the AI Impact Summit 2026. The Chair of the Gates Foundation was scheduled to address the gathering on February 19. However, his name has now quietly disappeared from the official list of speakers on the event’s website.  Add Zee News as a Preferred Source