Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made people laugh while speaking at the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam. While addressing the audience at the event, he joked that while artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing, it has yet to solve Delhi’s traffic congestion. After apologising for a slight delay in arriving at the venue, Sunak joked that, despite the many AI capabilities discussed this week, navigating the national capital’s traffic remains out of reach.
“Sorry, we’re a few minutes late, that’s entirely my fault. AI can do many things, as we’ve heard this week, but it can’t yet fix Delhi’s traffic. So, work to do,” Sunak said. This comes after the massive traffic disruptions across central Delhi due to security arrangements and route restrictions linked to the summit, which affected many people.
Several major roads experienced long tailbacks, with commuters reporting lengthy delays and frequent diversions. Visuals from key stretches showed vehicles moving slowly during peak hours, and many residents took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the restrictions.
The Delhi Traffic Police had previously issued an advisory outlining traffic restrictions and diversions in effect from February 16 to 20 to ensure the smooth movement of delegates attending the global AI gathering.
After the joke, Sunak, throughout the session, talked about the growing influence in the global AI landscape. He called the country a fitting venue for discussions on the future of AI. He also referred to the platforms such as Aadhaar and UPI and stated that the technology is deployed at scale to drive inclusion. He argued that India is well placed not only to shape AI’s trajectory for advanced economies but also to serve as a model for the developing world.
Recently, Sara Hooker, co-founder of Adaption Labs, missed a gala dinner with Narendra Modi during the India AI Impact Summit after being stuck in Delhi traffic for four hours. She shared a post on X talking about the incident and how she had to opt for room service at 11 PM instead of the gala dinner.