Dhananjay Yadav, founder of wearable AI start-up NeoSapiens, alleged that products from his company’s stall were stolen at the venue. Writing on X, he said the firm had spent heavily on travel, accommodation and exhibition space, “only to see our wearables disappear inside a high-security zone”.
Several attendees also complained about payment arrangements at food stalls inside the venue, saying food counters were accepting only cash and not digital payments, adding to the inconvenience, particularly for international visitors.
Soumya Sharma, founder of healthcare-focused Livo AI, said several discussions were held behind closed doors and that security shut down sessions because of overcrowding, preventing many delegates from taking part.
The closures, he suggested, undercut the summit’s ambition to showcase India’s AI ecosystem to a global audience.
While he said he attended some “excellent sessions”, Sharma added that operational lapses risked overshadowing the substance of the event. “Unless we get the basics right, we cannot claim to be utilising AI to its fullest,” he wrote on X. “AI is only part of the system. We must solve basic on-ground issues first.”
The BBC has reached out to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for a comment on these specifics.
The poor organisation of the event was acknowledged in a press conference on Tuesday by Minister Vaishnaw, who said “a war-room” had been set up at the summit to address any issues reported to them.
“About 70,000 people have attended the summit and we can say the organisation is very slow,” he said. “Whatever feedback you have, please share with us. We are working very hard to make this experience enjoyable for everyone,” he added.