The dawn of the "Agentic" Era: Insights from the New Delhi AI Impact Summit 2026

The air in New Delhi this week is thick with more than just the usual bustle; it is charged with the electric anticipation of the India-AI Impact Summit 2026. Held at the Bharat Mandapam, the summit has become the global focal point for a fundamental shift in technology: the transition from AI that assists us to Agentic AI—systems that act for us.

As world leaders and tech titans like Sam Altman and Sundar Pichai gather, the consensus is clear: we are no longer just "using" tools. We are now orchestrating a digital workforce of autonomous agents capable of planning, deciding, and executing complex workflows with minimal human intervention

A Phenomenal Shift Across Industries

The "Seven Chakras" of the summit—thematic zones focusing on Health, Agriculture, and Science—showcase how Agentic AI is moving from theory to reality:

• Healthcare & Pharma: AI agents are no longer just reading X-rays. They are now managing clinical trial paperwork, accelerating drug discovery timelines by years, and acting as "always-on" diagnostic partners that monitor patient vitals in real-time to trigger immediate interventions.
• Agriculture: In a landmark move for the Global South, the summit highlighted AI agents that help farmers predict weather patterns, optimize irrigation autonomously, and manage supply chains to ensure crops reach markets at peak value.
• Creative & Filmmaking: The creative world is seeing a revolution where agents handle the "heavy lifting" of post-production—color grading, sound sync, and even initial scene assembly—allowing creators to focus purely on the vision.

IT & Education: "Role-based" agents are now standard in IT, handling system monitoring and debugging autonomously. In education, AI tutors are evolving into lifelong learning agents that adapt curriculum in real-time based on a student's cognitive load and progress.

The New Labor Landscape: 2026 and Beyond

The summit underscores a jarring but opportunistic reality: 75% of knowledge work roles are now being augmented by AI agents. While the fear of displacement is real, the data presented in New Delhi suggests a "Human-AI Partnership" model. We are seeing the birth of the "Digital Employee," where a single marketing manager might oversee three specialized AI agents—one for research, one for content, and one for optimization

The Dawn of the "Agentic" Era: Insights from the New Delhi AI Impact Summit 2026

The air in New Delhi this week is thick with more than just the usual bustle; it is charged with the electric anticipation of the India-AI Impact Summit 2026. Held at the Bharat Mandapam, the summit has become the global focal point for a fundamental shift in technology: the transition from AI that assists us to Agentic AI—systems that act for us.

As world leaders and tech titans like Sam Altman and Sundar Pichai gather, the consensus is clear: we are no longer just "using" tools. We are now orchestrating a digital workforce of autonomous agents capable of planning, deciding, and executing complex workflows with minimal human intervention.

A Phenomenal Shift Across Industries

The "Seven Chakras" of the summit—thematic zones focusing on Health, Agriculture, and Science—showcase how Agentic AI is moving from theory to reality:

• Healthcare & Pharma: AI agents are no longer just reading X-rays. They are now managing clinical trial paperwork, accelerating drug discovery timelines by years, and acting as "always-on" diagnostic partners that monitor patient vitals in real-time to trigger immediate interventions.
• Agriculture: In a landmark move for the Global South, the summit highlighted AI agents that help farmers predict weather patterns, optimize irrigation autonomously, and manage supply chains to ensure crops reach markets at peak value.
• Creative & Filmmaking: The creative world is seeing a revolution where agents handle the "heavy lifting" of post-production—color grading, sound sync, and even initial scene assembly—allowing creators to focus purely on the vision.
• IT & Education: "Role-based" agents are now standard in IT, handling system monitoring and debugging autonomously. In education, AI tutors are evolving into lifelong learning agents that adapt curriculum in real-time based on a student's cognitive load and progress.

The summit underscores a jarring but opportunistic reality: 75% of knowledge work roles are now being augmented by AI agents. While the fear of displacement is real, the data presented in New Delhi suggests a "Human-AI Partnership" model. We are seeing the birth of the "Digital Employee," where a single marketing manager might oversee three specialized AI agents—one for research, one for content, and one for optimization.

Roadmap for the Future: Suggestions for Stakeholders

The summit concludes not just with models, but with a call to action. To thrive in this agentic future, here is how different groups should adapt:

For Workers & Professionals

• Shift from "Doing" to "Designing": Your value no longer lies in executing tasks but in designing the workflows that agents follow.
• Master AI Literacy: Understanding the logic of goal-setting agents and memory management is now as fundamental as basic computer literacy was 20 years ago
• Double Down on Soft Skills: Empathy, ethical judgment, and complex negotiation remain uniquely human. Agents can book a meeting, but they cannot yet navigate the nuances of a sensitive business relationship.

For Business Leaders & Entrepreneurs

• Modernize the Tech Stack: Agentic AI requires "sovereign tech stacks" and open-source frameworks (like the Model Context Protocol) to allow agents to communicate across different software.

• · Identify "Human-in-the-Loop" Points: Don't automate blindly. Identify critical inflection points where human oversight ensures quality and ethical alignment.
• · Iterative Implementation: Start with "sandbox" environments to test agentic workflows before scaling them to customer-facing operations.

For Students

• Focus on Multi-disciplinary Learning: The most successful students will be those who can bridge the gap between technical AI knowledge and domain expertise in fields like law, medicine, or environmental science.
• Adopt an "Agentic Mindset": Use AI agents now to manage your study schedules, research papers, and project coordination. Learning to manage agents is the most important career skill you can acquire today.

The India-AI Impact Summit has made one thing undeniable: the future is not something that will happen to us; it is something we will co-author with our digital agents. The goal is no longer just "Progress," but a "People-Centric" advancement where technology serves the many, not just the few.

(This article is written by Pankaj Belwariar – Director Communications, SRM University-AP. This is an opinionated article; EPN has nothing to do with this editorial.)