The Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026 officially began today at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marking a major milestone in India’s journey toward integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) across its education ecosystem. The two-day conclave is being organized as a national platform to enable collaboration among government, academia, industry, startups, and innovators in the field of AI-enabled education.

Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the event in the presence of Minister of State for Education Shri Sukanta Majumdar and launched the Bodhan AI Centre of Excellence, a flagship initiative aimed at driving innovation and research in education-focused AI solutions.

Advancing AI Integration in Education

Addressing the conclave, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan emphasized the urgent need for scalable, ethical, and responsible AI adoption in education. He highlighted that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has consistently called for making India AI-ready while ensuring inclusivity, accountability, and sovereignty in AI systems.

“The Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave brings together policymakers, academic leaders, startups, innovators, and the skilling ecosystem to build the Bharat EduAI Stack—an open, interoperable digital architecture to scale AI-powered learning solutions across India,” he said.

He further stressed that India’s AI ecosystem will be inclusive by design, interoperable by architecture, and sovereign by capability, aligning with the vision of Viksit Bharat and ensuring AI for All.

Bharat EduAI Stack and Priority Verticals

The conclave is envisioned as a platform for landscape discovery, ecosystem mapping, and partnership building in AI-enabled education. A key outcome of the conclave is the initiation of work on the Bharat EduAI Stack, a digital public infrastructure for education.

Discussions and demonstrations at the conclave are focused on four priority verticals:

• AI for School Education

• AI for Higher Education

• AI for Skilling and Workforce Readiness

• AI Research and Deep Technology

An exhibition showcasing AI-driven innovations in school education, higher education, and skilling was also inaugurated, facilitating direct engagement between policymakers and innovators.

Key Launches and Strategic Partnerships

Several important initiatives and collaborations were announced during the conclave. Notably, an MoU was exchanged between IIT Bombay and Columbia University to establish a Centre of AI for Manufacturing at IIT Bombay. Other major announcements included the launch of the IIM Lucknow AI Programme, institutional collaborations involving IIM Jammu and AIT Bangkok, and the IIM Ranchi “Teaching with AI” initiative.

A special session on Bodhan.ai, the AI Centre of Excellence for Education at IIT Madras, highlighted the importance of building open and interoperable AI platforms. Industry leaders, including Mr. Pratyush Kumar, CEO of Sarvam AI, shared insights on the future of AI in education.

Technical Sessions and Future Focus

The conclave featured two in-depth technical sessions focusing on AI-powered classroom solutions, teacher capacity building, foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN), and systemic education reforms. Leading organizations, education startups, and research institutions presented scalable AI solutions to improve learning outcomes and governance frameworks.

The Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave will continue on 13 February 2026, with sessions centered on Digital Public Infrastructure, AI platforms, emerging technologies, skills development, and higher education, further strengthening India’s leadership in AI-driven education.