Modi’s Chaotic AI Summit Showed India’s Clout and Constraints

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his pitch this week that India can play a leading role in the artificial intelligence boom with a conference featuring tech stars from around the world. It suffered more than a few hitches.

Nvidia Corp.’s Jensen Huang dropped out after early promotion; Bill Gates withdrew later. Many attendees ran into trouble just getting into the grand Bharat Mandapam venue in New Delhi on Monday and logistics remained an ordeal all week. Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, had so much trouble getting through security that his speech — announcing the biggest deal of the India AI Impact Summit — was delayed.