The Radio Festival 2026 Explores the Future of Community Radio in the Era of AI

BusinessWire India
New Delhi [India], February 10: The 9th edition of The Radio Festival (TRF), India's flagship annual event focused on strengthening the public and community audio ecosystem, was held today at the India International Centre, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Seeking Modern Applications for Real Transformation (SMART).
Celebrating this year's theme -- Reimagining Radio with AI, the Festival explored how artificial intelligence can strengthen credible, local-language public communication, particularly for underserved, remote, and multilingual communities. TRF is a first-of-its-kind initiative that brings together all three tiers of radio in India -- public, private and community, alongside podcasters, policymakers, technologists and civil society, to reaffirm radio's role as a trusted public good.
Notably, this edition of the festival served as a precursor to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's (MeitY's) global event, AI Summit for Impact, underscoring the growing relevance of radio within national and international conversations on technology, inclusion, and public communication.
The festival was officially inaugurated by Honourable Deputy Chairperson, Rajya Sabha Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh; Mr Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, GoI, Mr Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Mr Shahsi Shekhar Vempai, Co-Founder AI4India and former CEO Prasar Bharti, Nisha Narayanan, Director and COO, Red FM and Archana Kapoor, Founder, The Radio Festival. The festival saw participation from over 300 participants, including community, private and public broadcasters, podcasters, students and radio enthusiasts. The festival featured a series of panel discussions and sessions examining the intersection of AI, public interest media and community engagement.
Delivering the inaugural address, Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh, Deputy Chairperson, Rajya Sabha, said, "This is not just a festival, but a centre of ideas, where policy, technology, media, and communities come together. It is a new journey, where technology, tradition, and the spirit of the Constitution move forward together. We envision an AI that speaks in India's dialects, that can function even without internet connectivity, and that is trained in public interest, not just by data scientists, but also by community reporters, listeners and local storytellers."
Ms. Archana Kapoor, in her welcome address, emphasised the strategic role AI can play in advancing inclusive public communication while safeguarding trust and community relevance. She said, "If the use of AI remains confined to big platforms, it risks deepening the digital divide. But when designed with local languages, cultural context and empathy at its core, AI can become a powerful force for technological inclusion. For community radio, this means simpler access to information, wider reach across remote geographies, and stronger amplification of local voices -- creating a positive ripple effect in the everyday lives of the communities they serve."
The panel discussions highlighted both the opportunities and ethical considerations of deploying AI within public and community media ecosystems. The discussions highlighted the importance of using AI responsibly and strategically to bridge communication gaps in remote areas. Panellists also emphasised AI's potential in supporting content creation, translation, archiving and distribution, while safeguarding editorial integrity, trust and community ownership.
World Radio Day was officially adopted as a United Nations International Day in 2012. Since then, 13th February has been observed annually to recognise radio's enduring role as a powerful medium of communication, a promoter of human rights, and a vital tool for information dissemination.
Over the years, The Radio Festival has emerged as a critical convening space for dialogue and knowledge exchange within India's radio and audio ecosystem. The 9th edition continues this legacy by situating radio firmly within broader national and global conversations on responsible, inclusive and impact-driven uses of artificial intelligence.
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