The India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi saw the United States draw a line in the sand against global AI governance. Michael Kratsios, heading the White House’s science and tech policy office, articulated a vision where nations hold the reins on their AI futures.
‘Global governance is off the table,’ Kratsios said, aligning with longstanding US policy under Trump. He advocated for localized rules that serve national interests, rejecting any centralized authority that might bureaucratize innovation.
Sovereignty in AI means mastering elite technologies to empower populations and navigate global changes independently, he explained. While total self-sufficiency is unfeasible due to AI’s complexity, strategic autonomy through swift adoption is within reach—and the US wants to help.
Enter the American AI Exports Program, a presidential initiative fostering alliances for shared prosperity. It’s bolstered by targeted funding from key US agencies and a new World Bank initiative to dismantle financial barriers plaguing AI uptake in the developing world.
Kratsios introduced Tech Corps, a program deploying volunteer tech talent to aid AI applications in public services abroad. He identified funding shortages and skill deficits as primary hurdles keeping emerging economies from the AI vanguard.
Proclaiming America as the creator of AI’s gold standard, Kratsios reinforced US dominance. This summit stance promotes a world of autonomous AI policies, collaborative yet sovereign, poised to drive equitable technological progress.