NEW DELHI: Dozens of nations, including the US and China, called for “secure, trustworthy and robust” artificial intelligence, in a summit declaration on Saturday criticised for being too generic to protect the public.

The statement, signed by 86 countries, did not include concrete commitments to regulate the fast-developing technology, instead highlighting several voluntary, non-binding initiatives.

“AI’s promise is best realised only when its benefits are shared by humanity,” said the statement, released after the five-day AI Impact Summit.

It called the advent of generative AI “an inflection point in the trajectory of technological evolution”.

“Advancing secure, trustworthy and robust AI is foundational to building trust and maximising societal and economic benefits,” it said.

Experts criticise declaration for containing voluntary, non-binding initiatives instead of concrete pledges

The summit — attended by tens of thousands including top tech CEOs — was the fourth annual global meeting to discuss the promises and pitfalls of AI, and the first hosted by a developing country.

Analysts had said earlier that the summit’s broad focus, and vague promises made at the previous meetings in France, South Korea and Britain, would make strong pleges or immediate action unlikely.

The US, home to industry-leading companies such as Google and ChatGPT maker OpenAI, did not sign last year’s summit statement, warning that regulation could be a drag on innovation.

“We totally reject global governance of AI,” US delegation head Michael Kratsios said at the summit on Friday.

The US signed a bilateral declaration on AI with India the same day, pledging to “pursue a global approach to AI that is unapologetically friendly to entrepreneurship and innovation”.

But it also put its name to the main statement.

‘Generic promises’

Amba Kak, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute, criticised the lack of a meaningful declaration, saying it was just “another round of generic voluntary promises”.

“The fact that this declaration drew such wide endorsement, especially from the US, which held out in Paris, tells you what kind of agenda it is: one that is AI-industry approved, not one that meaningfully protects the public,” she said.

Saturday’s summit declaration struck a cautious tone on AI safety risks, from misinformation and surveillance to fears of the creation of devastating new pathogens.

“Deepening our understanding of the potential security aspects remains important,” it said.

“We recognise the importance of security in AI systems, industry-led voluntary measures, and the adoption of technical solutions, and appropriate policy frameworks that enable innovation.”

On jobs, it emphasised reskilling initiatives to “support participants in preparation for a future AI-driven economy”.

And “we underscore the importance of developing energy-efficient AI systems” given the technology’s growing demands on natural resources, it said.

Computing expert and AI safety campaigner Stuart Russell said Saturday’s commitments were “not completely inconsequential”.

“The most important thing is that there are any commitments at all,” he said.

Some visitors had complained of poor organisation, including chaotic entry and exit points, at the vast summit and expo site in Delhi.

The next AI summit will take place in Geneva next year. In the meantime, a UN panel on AI will start work towards “science-led governance”, the global body’s chief Antonio Guterres said.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2026