Shaping the Future of AI with Youth Voices

India AI Impact Summit 2026

Children and Youth at the AI Decision-Making Table

At the AI Impact Summit 2026 in Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, global leaders, policymakers, and technology experts gathered to discuss the future of artificial intelligence. Representing UNICEF India as a Youth Advocate, our founder, Prasiddhi Singh, delivered the Children & Youth Opening Address, bringing the voices of young people directly into conversations shaping global AI governance.

Standing alongside eminent leaders such as S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, and Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prasiddhi emphasised a crucial message: children and youth are not passive users of AI, but active participants in shaping its future.

A Global Youth Mandate for Safe and Inclusive AI

During her address, Prasiddhi presented the Children and Youth Statement for a Safe and Inclusive AI Future, developed with UNICEF India and Generation Unlimited, built from the voices of 54,000 young people across 184 countries.

At its core, the statement is a clear call to action, outlining eight key demands for governments, institutions, and technology leaders:

Inclusive by design with diverse and representative datasets
Strong data protection and safety standards, with age-appropriate safeguards
AI education for all, enabling young people to engage critically and ethically
Parental guidance frameworks that protect while respecting children’s rights
Opportunities for innovation, including mentorship and real-world AI projects
Accessible skill-building for future-ready employment
Fair systems, addressing risks like bias and job exclusion through transparency
Meaningful youth participation with real roles in AI decision-making

Together, these priorities emphasise one message: AI must be built with young people, not just for them, ensuring a future that is not only intelligent, but fair and inclusive.

Designing AI With Young People, Not Just For Them

The session reinforced an important shift in global technology conversations: young people must be included in decisions about the technologies that will shape their lives. Through this platform, Prasiddhi highlighted the responsibility of governments, institutions, and technology companies to ensure that AI strengthens opportunity, protects children, and reduces inequality rather than reinforcing it.

A Collective Voice for the Future

The statement was co-created with youth leaders Kartik Verma, Sampada Tewari, Sudarshan Wankhade, Sai Mohith Vissa, Asha Bassi, and Prasiddhi Singh, with support from the UNICEF India team. Their work reflects a growing global movement advocating for ethical, inclusive, and youth-informed technology governance.

As Prasiddhi shared in her address:
“When young people shape AI as equal partners, it is nation-building. It is planet building.”

Looking Ahead

The AI Impact Summit marked an important step toward ensuring that children and youth are recognised as stakeholders in shaping emerging technologies. For The Green Pillar and Prasiddhi Forest Foundation, the moment reaffirmed the importance of empowering young voices in global conversations that will define the future.

As AI continues to evolve, one message remains clear: the next generation is not waiting to inherit the future; they are helping design it.