DICCI to Host International Conclave on AI for Inclusion and the Future of Work on 18th February 2026

New Delhi [India], February 13: The Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) will convene the International Conclave on AI for Inclusion and the Future of Work 2026: Bridging the Equity Gap on 18th February 2026 at The Park, New Delhi. The conclave is being organised in partnership with iCreate, Indian Institute of Management Jammu, Infisum and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), and will serve as a precursor to the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

Senior representatives from the Union and State Governments, international policymakers, business executives, economists, academic specialists, and social sector practitioners will all be present at the conference, which is being sponsored by the Government of India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The alignment of AI with the objectives of equity, livelihood security, and inclusive economic growth will be the main topic of discussion.

As AI rapidly reshapes productivity, service delivery and business models, the conclave will examine emerging risks around concentration of capital, compute infrastructure and intellectual property, and their potential to deepen structural inequalities. Deliberations will explore policy and market interventions required to ensure equitable access to AI through infrastructure development, responsible data governance and inclusive skilling frameworks.

Key agenda areas include AI inequality in global development, governance frameworks for responsible AI deployment, formalisation pathways for MSMEs and informal workers, and the role of digital public infrastructure in expanding access to AI systems. Special emphasis will be placed on enabling participation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women entrepreneurs, gig workers, sanitation workers, artisans and first-generation business owners in emerging AI value chains.

A key outcome of the conclave will be the Delhi Declaration on Inclusive AI and the Future of Work, which is expected to outline national principles for equity-by-design, worker transition frameworks, portable social protection mechanisms, multilingual AI skilling pathways, inclusive data governance standards and strengthened Centre–State coordination. The Declaration will inform deliberations at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

Dr. Milind Kamble, Founder Chairman, DICCI & Conclave Chairman, Conclave on AI for Inclusion and the Future of Work stated, “Artificial intelligence will define the next phase of economic expansion. The central question is whether this growth will remain concentrated or become participatory. This conclave is anchored in six pillars — education, small business formalisation, financial literacy, future-ready agriculture, AI for speedy justice, and AI for empowering informal workers. Inclusion must be embedded at the design stage of AI systems and governance frameworks to ensure durable social mobility.”

Padma Shri awardee Mr. Ravi Kumar Narra, National President, DICCI, added, “Economic empowerment delivers impact when policy intent is matched with institutional execution. AI must be deployed with similar discipline to enhance productivity in the informal economy, expand market access for small enterprises and enable credible worker transition pathways. Inclusion must be measurable, not aspirational.”

Through this conclave, DICCI aims to institutionalise inclusion as a foundational principle within India’s evolving AI policy ecosystem, advancing structured dialogue and actionable commitments that align artificial intelligence with equity, employment and national development priorities.