'New Delhi, is the Heart of AI': Lithuania's Economy and Innovation Minister

New Delhi: Lithuania's Economy and Innovation Minister Edvinas Grikšas on Thursday emphasised the growing importance of global partnerships in artificial intelligence while participating in the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The minister said that AI is a "horizontal breakthrough technology" that requires cooperation among nations, including India and Lithuania.

Speaking to ANI, the minister described New Delhi, India, as "the heart of AI" for the day, citing the presence of leaders and experts from across the European Union and other parts of the world.

"Actually, today, New Delhi, India, is the heart of AI. We can see leaders from all the countries, from the European Union, globally. So actually, yeah, good thoughts, good practices, you know, sharing about expertise in AI. Other countries are sharing what they are doing in their countries, you know, so excellent event. I'm very happy to be part of it," he said.

Highlighting Lithuania's initiatives in the field of AI, Grikšas noted that the country is actively building its AI ecosystem. "We are building an AI factory; we just launched an AI sandbox, a regulatory AI sandbox, and we prepared the Lithuanian AI strategy," he said, adding that the summit had an "even greater agenda".

On potential collaboration between India and Lithuania in the digital space, the minister underlined that AI has applications across sectors. "AI has its own speciality because it's a very horizontal breakthrough technology. It's important for biotechnology, for the public sector, for the private sector, for manufacturing, you know, so points for cooperation are more than, you know, I can count," he said.

Stressing complementarities between the two countries, he said, "We have some niche technologies in Lithuania, India is very powerful in the field of AI, so we can always complement each other. AI is about cooperation between countries, so that's where we should move."

Responding to a question on the proposed free trade agreement and its impact on bilateral ties, Grikšas said such frameworks would strengthen collaboration beyond traditional sectors. "It helps, it helps a lot, you know, because it's not only about some kind of priorities or some kind of manufacturers, but it's about cooperation in general. So yeah, we are positive about this, and it will help us to work in the AI field also, I guess."

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