Global Tech Leaders Slam EU AI Act as Innovation Hurdle at New Delhi Summit

International leaders at the 2026 New Delhi AI summit criticize the EU AI Act for stifling innovation. Experts warn other nations not to follow Europe's model.

By: AXL Media

Published: Feb 20, 2026, 3:30 AM EST

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Politico

The Diplomatic Friction in New Delhi

The 2026 India AI Impact Summit held at Bharat Mandapam has become a focal point for global frustration regarding European technology policy. Throughout a week of high level discussions and strategic networking, the prevailing sentiment among attendees was a blunt warning to avoid the regulatory path taken by Brussels. Just three years ago at the Bletchley Park summit, the European Union was viewed as a pioneering architect of AI safety. Today, the bloc is increasingly characterized as a cautionary example of how overregulation can detach a region from the fast moving global innovation race.

Global Leaders Issue Warnings Against EU Model

The criticism was led by prominent figures from the United States and the broader tech industry. Sriram Krishnan, a senior White House policy adviser on artificial intelligence, told summit attendees that the regulatory atmosphere in the European Union needs to pivot away from what he described as doomerism. Krishnan emphasized that the current legal framework in Europe is not conducive to entrepreneurs attempting to build foundational technology. This sentiment was echoed by Amanda Brock, CEO of Open UK, who suggested that the EU had essentially shot itself in the foot by moving too quickly to regulate a technology that was still in its early stages of understanding.

Strategic Divergence and the American AI Stack

While Europe focuses on a comprehensive and prescriptive legal architecture, the United States is pushing a vision centered on market dominance. American officials at the summit made a strong pitch for a global AI ecosystem built on top of the American stack. This includes everything from high performance semiconductors like those from Nvidia and AMD to the foundational models developed by companies such as Google and OpenAI. By contrast, India has signaled its preference for a light touch governance system. This wait and see approach focuses on addressing specific harms, such as deepfakes, rather than implementing a sweeping set of proactive restrictions that could hinder domestic startups.