Bill Gates pulled out of India’s AI Impact Summit just hours before he was scheduled to deliver his keynote speech on Thursday, a day before this report on Friday.
His sudden withdrawal came as renewed attention focused on his past connections to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein following the recent release of emails by the U.S. Justice Department.
The unexpected cancellation added fresh pressure to the six-day summit, which had already faced criticism over organizational issues, a controversy involving a robot demonstration, and complaints about traffic disruptions around the venue. Gates’ absence became another setback for an event that was meant to highlight India’s growing leadership in artificial intelligence.
Even with the disruptions, the summit secured more than 200 billion dollars in investment pledges for AI infrastructure across India. One of the biggest announcements came from Reliance Industries, which revealed a 110 billion dollar investment plan. The Tata Group also signed a partnership agreement with OpenAI, strengthening India’s position in the fast-growing AI sector.
Gates’ decision to step back followed the release of Justice Department emails last month that included communication between Epstein and staff at the Gates Foundation. In a statement, the foundation said Gates would not deliver his speech to ensure that the focus remained on the summit’s key priorities. Only a few days earlier, the foundation had dismissed rumors about his absence and said he was expected to attend.
Instead, Ankur Vora, the foundation’s chief strategy officer and its head for Africa and India, spoke at the event. A representative for the philanthropic organization, founded by Gates and his former wife in 2000, did not respond to questions about whether the withdrawal was directly linked to the renewed scrutiny over the Epstein emails.
Gates has previously stated that his interactions with Epstein were limited to discussions related to philanthropy and that meeting him was a mistake. He has publicly acknowledged regret over the association.
The summit was expected to host several major technology leaders, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Gates’ absence followed another high-profile cancellation earlier in the week when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also pulled out.
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The event was promoted as the first major AI forum in the Global South, with India aiming to establish itself as a key voice in global AI governance. While the large investment commitments demonstrate strong interest in India’s AI future, the series of cancellations and controversies has somewhat overshadowed what was intended to be a landmark moment for the country’s technology ambitions.
