Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026 Kicks Off at Bharat Mandapam

The Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026 commenced at Bharat Mandapam, marking a major step toward integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into India’s education ecosystem. The two-day conclave aims to accelerate collaboration among government bodies, academic institutions, startups, and industry leaders to build a robust AI-driven education framework.

Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the gathering, while Shri Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of State for Education, also graced the event. During the conclave, Shri Pradhan launched the Bodhan AI Centre of Excellence.

Vision and Objectives of the Conclave

The Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026 is envisioned as a national platform for landscape discovery, strategic alignment, and partnership building in AI-enabled education.

Its primary objectives include:

• Ecosystem mapping to identify gaps and opportunities in AI-driven education
• Supporting strategic partnerships across government, academia, startups, and industry
• Initiating the development of the Bharat EduAI Stack

The Bharat EduAI Stack is proposed as an open and interoperable architecture to build, integrate, and scale AI-powered learning solutions across India.

Key Focus Areas

The conclave engages solutions across four priority verticals:

• AI for School Education
• AI for Higher Education
• AI for Skilling and Workforce Readiness
• AI Research and Deep Technology

These focus areas aim to ensure that AI adoption spans from foundational learning to advanced research and industry readiness.

Address by Union Education Minister

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan emphasized that the conclave brings together academia, policymakers, startups, innovators, and industry leaders to integrate AI at scale. He highlighted the vision of making India AI-ready, as articulated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

He stressed that India’s AI ecosystem would be inclusive by design, interoperable by architecture, and sovereign by capability. The Minister also underlined the importance of ethical, responsible, and India-centric AI models to transform education and achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat.

Key Launches and Collaborations

Several important initiatives and partnerships were announced during the conclave:

• MoU between IIT Bombay and Columbia University to establish a Centre of AI for manufacturing
• Launch of the IIM Lucknow AI Programme
• Institutional collaborations involving IIM Jammu and AIT Bangkok
• IIM Ranchi initiative titled “Teaching with AI”

A special session on Bodhan.ai at IIT Madras discussed the roadmap for building the Bharat EduAI Stack.

Technical Sessions and Exhibition

The conclave featured two technical sessions focusing on:

1. School Education and Classroom Solutions
2. Teacher Capacity Building, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), and Systemic Reform

An exhibition showcasing AI-driven innovations in school education, higher education, and skilling was also inaugurated. The conclave will continue with discussions on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), AI platforms, emerging technologies, and higher education reforms.

MCQs

Q1. Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026 was held at which venue?
(a) Vigyan Bhawan
(b) Bharat Mandapam
(c) IIT Delhi
(d) India Habitat Centre

Q2. Who launched the Bodhan AI Centre of Excellence?
(a) Narendra Modi
(b) Sukanta Majumdar
(c) Dharmendra Pradhan
(d) S. Krishnan

Q3. The Bharat EduAI Stack aims to be:
(a) Closed-source and centralized
(b) Open and interoperable
(c) Private and restricted
(d) Industry-exclusive

Q4. Which of the following is NOT one of the priority verticals of the conclave?
(a) AI for School Education
(b) AI for Higher Education
(c) AI for Agriculture
(d) AI for Skilling and Workforce Readiness

Q5. An MoU was signed between IIT Bombay and which international university?
(a) Harvard University
(b) Oxford University
(c) Columbia University
(d) Stanford University

Q6. The conclave emphasized the development of AI that is:
(a) Commercial and profit-driven
(b) Exclusive and centralized
(c) Ethical, responsible, and inclusive
(d) Fully automated without regulation