Ministry of Earth Sciences leads discussions on AI for Oceans of Tomorrow: Data, Models and Governance at India AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India, organized a high-level panel discussion titled “AI for Our Oceans of Tomorrow: Data, Models and Governance” as part of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, being held in New Delhi from 16–20 February 2026.

The experts emphasized that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a transformative role in strengthening India’s ocean governance, disaster resilience, marine livelihoods, and Blue Economy growth. The session brought together senior government officials, international dignitaries, scientists, industry leaders, start-ups, and financial experts to deliberate on the integration of AI with ocean science and policy.

Delivering the keynote address, the Director General of the India Meteorological Department, Dr. M. Mohapatra, highlighted the critical role oceans play in climate regulation, disaster risk reduction, food security, and livelihoods. He underscored India’s strong national capabilities in ocean observation, cyclone forecasting, marine data systems, and early warning services, noting that technological advancements have significantly reduced loss of life during extreme weather events. The keynote emphasized the importance of data-driven and AI-enabled models to complement traditional physical models, particularly in the context of climate change impacts such as ocean warming, acidification, and sea-level rise. The Deep Ocean Mission was highlighted as a flagship national initiative focused on deep-sea exploration, offshore energy, biodiversity conservation, and the sustainable utilisation of marine resources.

Addressing the session, the Ambassador of Norway to India, Her Excellency, Ms. May-Elin Stener, highlighted the growing India-Norway cooperation in oceans and the Blue Economy. She noted that AI can significantly enhance fisheries management, shipping efficiency, port operations, and coastal resilience when built on open, interoperable, and trusted digital foundations. Madam Stener emphasized that India’s leadership in digital public infrastructure positions it well to develop a global digital ocean framework based on open data, shared standards, and responsible digital governance, benefiting not only India but also the global community.

The latter segment of the session included a panel discussion featuring distinguished experts from government, academia, industry, and international institutions. The panel deliberated that India is uniquely positioned to lead the Global South by developing a Digital Ocean Infrastructure that integrates open data, AI-driven intelligence, and robust governance frameworks. Artificial Intelligence would be essential for scaling marine livelihoods, reducing operational costs, and enabling timely, data-driven decision-making across Blue Economy sectors. Despite growing datasets, oceans remain a highly complex and data-scarce domain, necessitating the development of physics-informed AI and physical intelligence. Progress in ocean AI will require enhanced international cooperation, open and interoperable systems, and shared digital public goods that reflect the transboundary nature of oceans. With supportive policies, data liquidity, blended finance, and risk-sharing mechanisms, the Blue Economy can emerge as a sustainable long-term growth engine, generating large-scale employment and investment opportunities for India and the Global South.

The session concluded with remarks by Dr. (Cdr) P K Srivastava, Scientist G & Adviser, Ministry of Earth Sciences, who reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to building a structured pathway for AI integration across ocean-related programmes.