India AI Impact Summit 2026

high-level-panel-discussion-on-ai-bridges-indiaisrael-innovation-dialogue

8 min read

TRACK:Safe and Trusted AI
SPEAKERS
  • Erez Naftali Askal, Israel Artificial Intelligence Directorate
  • Mr. Sanjay Kadaveru, Action for India
  • Ms. Shira Lev Ami, Israel National Digital Directorate
  • Yoel Ben Or, Ministry of Health, Israel
SESSION OVERVIEW

This high-level panel at the AI Impact Summit 2026 explores the strategic synergy between India and Israel. The session brings together stakeholders to examine opportunities for collaboration by integrating India's scale and technical talent with Israel's research and innovation ecosystem and governance approaches. The discussion will chart actionable pathways for collaboration across innovation, ethics, and market access, aiming to build a responsible, globally competitive AI ecosystem driven by the complementary strengths of both nations.

VIDEO RECORDING

High-level Panel Discussion on AI Bridges: India–Israel Innovation Dialogue

Abstract

The panel explored how India’s massive talent pool and market scale can be paired with Israel’s rapid AI‑driven decision‑making and deep‑tech expertise. Participants highlighted concrete collaboration models—joint research grants, AI‑enhanced scientific workflows, social‑impact AI incubators, and education‑technology exchanges. The discussion also covered governance challenges, the need for public trust, and upcoming diplomatic milestones such as the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Israel and the signing of a joint emerging‑technology scanning mechanism. The session concluded with a focus on climate‑AI initiatives (GRAIL) and a call for multilateral partnerships that extend beyond the bilateral relationship.

Detailed Summary

  • Contextual framing – Askal opened the session by celebrating the long‑standing India‑Israel relationship, noting the combined population of “a billion people” and the shared challenges in AI.
  • Strategic vision – He positioned Israel as one of the world’s future top‑three AI powers and emphasized the need for strong allies; Israel now regards India as that key partner.
  • Message of partnership – The keynote underscored that the summit marks the beginning of deeper AI cooperation, thanking Indian hosts and expressing optimism for joint initiatives.

2. Telangana’s AI Landscape (Sanjay Kadaveru)

  • State‑level capabilities – Kadaveru described Telangana as “India’s second‑largest IT hub,” with a three‑decade history in software services and the ICOM AI hub, the first state‑backed AI initiative.
  • Funding mechanisms – The state has launched a fund‑of‑funds dedicated largely to AI and IT startups, signalling a readiness to co‑invest with Israeli partners.
  • Policy alignment – He highlighted Israel’s speed in embedding AI into governmental decision‑making, suggesting Telangana as a natural partner for piloting AI‑enabled public services.
  • Call to action – Kadaveru invited Israeli innovators to leverage Telangana’s ecosystem for joint pilots in smart cities, health, and agriculture.

3. Panel Introduction & Structure

A moderator introduced the remaining panelists: Neer Dagan (Israel National Digital Agency), Mehrav Zerbeer (Israel Ministry of Education), Victor Gosalkar (Israel Ministry of Innovation), Garima Eugenia (NITI‑Aayog, India) and reiterated the agenda: science collaboration, social‑impact AI, education innovation, digital public infrastructure, emerging‑technology scanning, and climate‑AI.

4. Scientific Research Collaboration (Neer Dagan)

  • Research‑cycle AI integration – Dagan outlined the four stages of scientific research—question formulation, literature review, hypothesis generation, experimentation—and explained how AI can accelerate each stage.
  • Two partnership models:
    1. Joint grant programs – Bilateral funding streams to support AI‑enabled research projects.
    2. Service‑provider model – Indian AI experts developing reusable AI services for research institutions in both countries.
  • Skill‑labor complementarity – He stressed that India’s large pool of AI‑trained researchers can complement Israel’s deep‑tech R&D capacity.

5. AI‑Driven Social Innovation (Sanjay Kadaveru – Action for India)

  • AFI’s mission – Kadaveru described Action for India (AFI) as a network supporting for‑profit social entrepreneurs across education, health, agriculture, fintech, and cleantech.
  • AI Impact Cohort – A newly launched program selects ~12 startups (out of 100 applicants) focused on climate, agriculture, and health, each possessing proprietary data and domain expertise—the “true AI startups” according to Kadaveru.
  • Cross‑border exchange – He recounted meeting Israeli entrepreneur Ori Goshin (AI21 Labs), noting how such interactions inspire Indian founders.
  • Drishti‑T‑Hub collaboration – Highlighted an earlier initiative that paired Israeli deep‑tech startups with Indian incubator T‑Hub, enabling pilots and scaling.
  • Frugal‑innovation testbed – India’s diverse social challenges act as a “real‑world laboratory” where low‑cost, context‑aware AI solutions can be trialled and later exported to other emerging markets.

6. Education‑Technology Partnerships (Mehrav Zerbeer)

  • Personalized learning systems – Zerbeer reported an Israeli conference where 720 innovative personalised learning tools were showcased.
  • Alignment with Indian Ministry of Education – Both nations share a vision of “no learner left behind” and are developing parallel personalised‑education platforms.
  • Teacher empowerment – Emphasised that teachers are the “main agents of change”; joint professional‑development programmes are needed to help educators integrate AI into curricula.
  • Scaling frameworks – Discussed moving from sandbox pilots to nationwide roll‑outs, noting the scale gap (2.3 M students in Israel vs. ~250 M in India).

7. Digital Public Infrastructure & AI (Garima Eugenia)

  • I4F project – India’s Innovation for Futures (I4F) initiative already hosts joint research teams with Israeli counterparts; the next step is market‑testing these outputs.
  • NITI‑Aayog’s role – As the government’s “innovation mission,” NITI‑Aayog seeks to bridge policy, academia, and startups to embed AI across sectors.
  • Sandbox and regulatory alignment – Garima stressed the need for coordinated sandboxes that allow Israeli AI solutions to be trialled in Indian markets while Indian startups gain exposure in Israel.
  • Market‑size advantage – India’s massive consumer base can act as a “global testing ground,” accelerating the commercialisation of Israeli AI technologies.

8. Emerging‑Technology Scanning Mechanism (Victor Gosalkar)

  • Strategic foresight unit – Gosalkar introduced an Israeli mechanism for technology scanning, weak‑signal detection, and trend‑monitoring using AI tools.
  • Pending bilateral agreement – A signing ceremony is slated for the following week, formalising cooperation on shared scanning of emerging technologies (including quantum computing).

9. Climate‑AI Initiative – GRAIL (Sanjay Kadaveru)

  • GRAIL (Green AI Learning Network) – A global coalition (including investors, researchers, and NGOs) aimed at harnessing AI/AGI to accelerate climate‑change mitigation.
  • Tri‑partite model – Proposes collaboration among Israel (deep‑tech R&D), India (scale & talent), and the U.S. (capital) to develop affordable, high‑impact climate solutions.
  • Action points – Suggests establishing a GRAIL investment fund, co‑designing pilots that blend Israeli deep‑tech with Indian engineering capacity, and extending the model to other regions.

10. Diplomatic & Strategic Milestones

  • Prime Minister’s upcoming visit – Anticipated meeting between the Indian Prime Minister and Israeli Prime Minister, expected to solidify education‑sector agreements.
  • Pax Silica participation – India’s recent accession to the Pax Silica framework (a peace‑focused international partnership) was highlighted as a multilateral confidence‑building measure.
  • Quantum‑AI governance – Panelists warned that quantum‑computing and AI pose existential risks; they urged joint development of global governance standards to prevent misuse.

11. Closing Remarks (Round‑robin)

  • Neer Dagan – Emphasised India’s spiritual heritage as a counterbalance to AI‑driven crises, urging the preservation of human values.
  • Victor Gosalkar – Reiterated the importance of the scanning mechanism and thanked Indian partners for rapid progress.
  • Sanjay Kadaveru – Restated GRAIL’s vision and called for building joint pipelines from day‑one rather than after‑the‑fact collaborations.
  • Garima Eugenia – Highlighted the necessity of aligning education, health, and security priorities across both nations.
  • Moderator – Opened the floor for audience questions.

12. Audience Q & A – Key Themes

Question (paraphrased)Respondents & Highlights
AI governance & quantum risks – How can India and Israel lead global standards?Victor: Proposes joint scanning and early‑warning frameworks; Garima: Stresses public trust, transparency, and citizen‑involvement; Neer: Calls for a “spiritual” grounding to guard against AI’s dislocation of purpose.
Agritech scaling – Leveraging Israeli water‑tech in India & beyond?Victor (Ministry of Science & Innovation): Views India as a strategic Indo‑Pacific partner; cites recent campus visits where Indian SMEs demonstrated low‑cost STEM games that could be deployed in Israeli schools.
Public‑trust in AI services – How to ensure citizens accept AI bots?Garima: Transparency (clearly labeling bots), inclusive design, and allowing human escalation; Victor: Trust is costly but essential, must be built before rapid rollout.
Climate‑AI fund – How will GRAIL be financed?Sanjay: Suggests a multi‑stakeholder fund drawing from Israeli VC, Indian sovereign wealth, and US philanthropic capital.
Education collaboration specifics – What concrete steps?Mehrav: Joint teacher‑training modules, shared sandbox pilots, co‑development of personalised‑learning platforms that respect data‑privacy norms of both countries.

13. Emerging Issues & Open Questions

  • Alignment of regulatory sandboxes – How can divergent legal frameworks (e.g., data‑privacy standards) be harmonised for seamless cross‑border pilots?
  • Scaling from pilot to national rollout – What governance structures are needed to move from Israel’s 2.3 M‑student pilots to India’s 250 M‑student market?
  • Quantum‑AI governance – No global body currently leads on quantum safety; the panel called for a bilateral (and eventually multilateral) charter, but concrete steps remain unclear.
  • Funding sustainability – While fund‑of‑funds and GRAIL are proposed, long‑term financing models (public‑private partnerships, sovereign funds) need articulation.

Key Takeaways

  • Strategic Complementarity – Israel brings rapid AI‑enabled governance and deep‑tech R&D; India contributes massive talent, market scale, and a vibrant startup ecosystem.
  • Joint Funding Models – Bilateral grant programs and fund‑of‑funds are earmarked to accelerate AI research and start‑up growth across both nations.
  • Education as a Priority – Both governments are aligning on personalised‑learning platforms and teacher empowerment, viewing education as the cornerstone for responsible AI diffusion.
  • Social‑Impact AI – Action for India’s AI Impact Cohort illustrates a concrete pipeline for AI‑driven solutions in climate, agriculture, and health, with a strong emphasis on proprietary data and domain expertise.
  • Emerging‑Tech Scanning – An AI‑powered foresight unit (to be formalised by a bilateral agreement) will monitor global trends, including quantum computing, to inform policy.
  • Climate‑AI Initiative (GRAIL) – A proposed tri‑partite (Israel–India–US) fund aims to harness AI for climate mitigation, blending Israeli deep‑tech, Indian scaling capacity, and external capital.
  • Diplomatic Milestones – The upcoming visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Israel and India’s entry into the Pax Silica agreement signal heightened political commitment.
  • Governance & Trust – Panelists agreed that transparency, citizen involvement, and robust ethical frameworks are essential to secure public trust in AI and quantum systems.
  • Multilateral Outlook – While the dialogue is bilateral, participants repeatedly referenced the need for broader, global standards and partnerships to address existential AI risks.

End of summary.

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