The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the answers are as follows.

¶ 02 1. The 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit, held from 16 to 20 February, was the first such gathering hosted in the Global South focusing on shaping the future of AI governance under the themes People, Planet and Progress. Heads of State and Government, senior UN officials, leaders of international organizations, and global technology leaders participated. Discussions covered human capital, inclusive empowerment, safe and trustworthy AI, science, interoperability, innovation and productivity, democratizing AI resources, and harnessing AI for economic development and social wellbeing.

¶ 03 Sri Lanka’s participation at Head of State level strengthened bilateral partnerships and reaffirmed our commitment to responsible, inclusive, human-centric AI. It showcased Sri Lanka’s interest and positioning in this domain.

¶ 04 Key interventions: - On 19 February, addressing the Leaders’ Plenary, H.E. highlighted AI as serving culture, rights, and fair access; emphasized AI infrastructure as the next phase of economic and cultural cooperation; drew attention to embedding aspirations, rights, and safety in the global AI discourse; underscored cultural dimensions often neglected in AI use, linguistic diversity in emerging AI systems, and the need to reflect shared human heritage; and stressed empowering communities rather than harming cultural identities. - Proposed enhancing regional cooperation around four pillars: affordable access, curated language datasets, common evaluation mechanisms and safety tools, and integrated capacity building. - Sri Lanka associated with the AI Summit Declaration, reaffirming commitment to ethical, transparent, people-centred AI and to work with international partners ensuring inclusive innovation and development priorities.

¶ 05 2. Leaders and dignitaries met included: - Hon. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India - H.E. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic - Hon. Dasho Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan - H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil - H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi - Mr. Sergey Gorokhovsky, U.S. Ambassador to India and Special Envoy to South and Central Asia

¶ 06 3. Bilateral meetings alongside the Summit enabled high-level dialogues on digital and AI cooperation: - With H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan: focus on expanding Sri Lanka–UAE cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, AI and emerging sectors. - With Hon. Dasho Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan: reaffirmed longstanding friendship; explored stronger cooperation in culture, education, youth programmes and health. - With H.E. Emmanuel Macron, President of France: discussed cooperation in technology, digital innovation, tourism, investment and maritime affairs; H.E. expressed gratitude for France’s continued support including within the Paris Club debt restructuring process. - With H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil: explored areas reflecting South–South cooperation; President Lula invited H.E. to visit Brazil. - With Mr. Sergey Gorokhovsky: reviewed U.S.–Sri Lanka ties and explored pathways for enhanced cooperation. - With Hon. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India: reviewed progress since H.E.’s State Visit to India in December 2024 and PM Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025; focused on further strengthening cooperation in trade, energy connectivity, digital cooperation, economic affairs and cultural ties. H.E. conveyed gratitude for India’s sustained humanitarian support, including after Cyclone “Ditcha”, and for the invitation to the historic AI Summit.