The Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit in India, billed as a historic gathering of global leaders and technology executives, was overshadowed by logistical chaos on its opening day in Delhi on Monday.
Participants complained about long lines, overcrowding, and confusion at the site, saying they had to wait for hours.
Some also reported limited access to food and water and said their products had been stolen from their stalls, foreign media wrote, according to Telegraph.
The five-day summit, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is being promoted as the first major international AI meeting hosted in the Global South.
On Tuesday, India's Information Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, apologized to exhibitors for "any problems or inconveniences."
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More than 100 countries are participating, with technology leaders including OpenAI's Sam Altman and Alphabet Inc's Sundar Pichai expected to attend.
Speaking at the inauguration, Modi said the summit showcased the "tremendous potential of Indian AI, talent and innovation", adding that India aimed to shape solutions "not just for India, but for the world".
But the opening day was "tainted" by complaints of poor crowd management at the Bharat Mandapam summit venue.
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By Monday afternoon, social media was filled with complaints from founders, exhibitors and delegates, who said security checks and last-minute closures left them stranded outside the exhibition halls.
Maitreya Wagh, co-founder of voice artificial intelligence startup Bolna, wrote on X that he was unable to enter his company's booth after the gates were closed.
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Punit Jain, founder of tech platform Reskill, described "queues at 7am" followed by hours of waiting and a "complete evacuation" before the prime minister's arrival.
Reuters reported that some speakers were still awaiting confirmation of their session schedules, adding to concerns about mismanagement.
Even Dhananjay Yadav, founder of artificial intelligence startup NeoSapiens, claimed that products from his company's stall were stolen at the scene.
Writing in X, he said the firm had spent heavily on travel, accommodation and exhibition space, "only to see our equipment disappear inside a high-security area". /
Telegrafi/
