NEW DELHI (India CSR): At a time when Artificial Intelligence is rapidly redefining economies, governance, and social systems across the world, the BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BRICS CCI) organised the Youth & AI Policy Lab – Case Study Challenge 2026 at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, placing youth-driven policy thinking at the heart of the global AI discourse. The event was held as an official pre-summit initiative to the forthcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026, one of the world’s leading forums on responsible and inclusive AI.
The Guest of Honour, S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, shared perspectives on India’s evolving AI and digital governance ecosystem, underscoring the transformative role of technology in development. He noted, “Artificial Intelligence gives us this opportunity to enable many of the countries of the Global South to achieve prosperity and to move up in the overall level of development. Many other countries will similarly aim at increasing the prosperity of their own people. These are very legitimate public policy objectives, and what we can today leverage is actually technology to get there. Technology can enhance productivity, enhance effectiveness, enhance human capability, and help us to get there.”
The event was graced by the Chief Guest, Shri Kartikeya Sharma, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, an influential voice in national policy and media, who commended BRICS CCI for creating a meaningful platform for youth engagement in AI governance. He stated, “I congratulate the organisers at the BRICS CCI for creating a platform that enables youth to contribute constructively in national and global AI governance. Global AI governance cannot be shaped without the voice of the Global South. India stands ready to work with BRICS and BRICS+ partners to shape equitable, practical and trustworthy AI frameworks.”
Delivering the welcome address, Harvansh Chawla, Chairman, BRICS CCI noted “AI today is not a distant concept. It is already influencing how classrooms function, how healthcare reaches people, how financial decisions are made, and how governments operate.”
Ashok Kumar Singh, Vice Chairman, BRICS CCI, threw light on India’s vision for the responsible, inclusive, and ethical development of Artificial Intelligence and quoted “India is at an important time—Amrit Kaal. Digital India, startups, and youth leadership show our focus on progress. At BRICS CCI, we believe young people should be part of policy discussions.”
Sameep Shastri, Vice Chairman, BRICS CCI reflected the momentum of AI Impact Summit 2026 and expressed his trust in the youth of the country. He noted “Working with Young leaders across institutions and regions as President of BRICS CCI Young Leaders has reinforced my belief that the next generation is not short of ideas- what they need is trust and platforms”.
Dr. BBL Madhukar, Co-Chairman & Director General, BRICS CCI emphasised the need for such platforms to engage youth in the discussion and quoted “The future of AI will be defined not only by innovation, but by the quality of decisions we make around its use. Engaging young minds early in policy conversations is essential to building AI systems that truly serve society”.
Ruhail Ranjan, Treasurer, BRICS CCI and MLA Islampur, Bihar revealed a promising picture of the future by saying “Youth of today is not looking for handouts but for opportunity, clarity, and leadership that turns ideas into action. My vision as a leader is rooted in that reality: to create a Bihar and an India where technology, policy, and governance serve every citizen, not just the privileged few.
Bibin Babu, Founder, GrowQR AI, delivered the Keynote Address, where he highlighted the deeper responsibility embedded in AI innovation. He remarked, “Something I recently realised is that AI should not only make us faster, it should also make us fairer and unbiased, and that’s what the actual strength of AI at the infra level is.” The Key speakers included Jayanth N. Kolla, Founder & Partner, Convergence Catalyst; Vikram Malhotra, Director AI Technology, Microsoft; Sanjay Singh, Chief Technology Officer, Tiket.com; Amit Gemini, CTO, The Press Trust of India; Naveen Malhotra, Director, Customer Relations, Sberbank India; Mitali Narula, Associate Director – Business Expansion, CoRover.ai (BharatGPT) and Asiyat Kultarbaeva, Counsel at Verba Legal and Mentor at the BRICS CCI Youth & AI Policy Lab. Speakers discussed issues ranging from trust and data responsibility to large-scale adoption and cross-sector collaboration.
Diplomats from the Embassies of Russia, China, Egypt, and Indonesia were also in attendance, reflecting robust international and BRICS+ engagement in shaping youth-led AI policy, collaboration, and responsible global governance.
At the core of the Policy Lab was the Case Study Challenge, where young participants presented policy-oriented AI solutions to real-world challenges. After rigorous evaluation by an eminent jury and mentors, Vrinda Pandey from National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar (INI) was declared the Winner, followed by Team IBRICS Watchful Brotherhood from Russia—comprising Fokina Mariia, Lebedev Vadim, and Meshcheryakova Valeriya—as First Runner-Up, and Team Sa-Su-Vi, represented by Satvik Kilambi, Sunidhi Goel, and Vinitha T, as Second Runner-Up. All Top Ten finalist teams were felicitated, and their papers will be featured in a dedicated Case Booklet highlighting youth-led AI policy perspectives.
The event was supported by its esteemed sponsors- GrowQR and FORE School of Management, whose contribution played a key role in enabling a high-quality platform for youth-led policy dialogue, mentorship, and collaboration.
The BRICS CCI Youth & AI Policy Lab 2026 emerged as a significant step toward embedding youth perspectives into global AI governance, setting the tone for meaningful discussions at the forthcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026, and reinforcing the belief that the future of AI must be inclusive, ethical, and human-centric.
