Bill Gates’ decision not to speak came after days of uncertainty
Bill Gates will not deliver his keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, just hours before the Microsoft co-founder was due to speak.
The Gates Foundation said the decision was made after “careful consideration” and “to ensure the focus remains on the [summit’s] key priorities”, but did not elaborate.
Gates’ withdrawal comes amid his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after he was named in new files released by the US Department of Justice.
The billionaire’s spokesperson called the claims in the files “absolutely absurd and completely false”, and Gates said he regretted spending time with Epstein.
Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims and the appearance of his name in the files does not imply criminal activity of any kind.
The Gates Foundation said Ankur Vora, president of its Africa and India offices, would speak at the summit instead of Bill Gates.
The organisation added that it remained “fully committed” to its work in India to advance “shared health and development goals”.
Although Bill Gates is not attending, other high-profile speakers remain on the programme, including OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron also addressed the summit, both calling for the democratisation of AI and a shared approach to innovation.
Modi said there was a need to share technology “so that humans don’t just become a data point for AI or remain a raw material for AI”.
He said: “AI must become a medium for inclusion and empowerment, particularly for the Global South.”
Google chief executive Sundar Pichai underscored India’s growing role in the AI landscape, adding that his firm was working on establishing a full-stack AI hub in Visakhapatnam, which he said would help bring jobs and cutting-edge AI to Indians.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani pledged to invest $110 billion over the next seven years to build India’s AI ecosystem, while Anthropic’s Dario Amodei said his firm would like to work with India on “testing and evaluation of models for safety and security risks”.
Bill Gates’ decision not to speak came after days of uncertainty over whether he would attend.
He is currently in India and had visited Andhra Pradesh on February 16, where he reportedly discussed initiatives for boosting health, agriculture, education and technology.
After it was speculated that he would pull out of the AI summit, his foundation said on February 17 that he would deliver the address as scheduled.
His withdrawal is a blow for the summit, which India has pitched as a flagship gathering to position the country as a global AI hub.
Delegates from more than 100 countries, including several heads of state, are attending the five-day event, which has been marked by controversy over mismanagement on the first day and an Indian university’s claims to have developed a robot dog that later turned out to be made in China.
The summit features policy discussions, start-up showcases and closed-door meetings on AI governance, infrastructure and innovation.
The event has also seen investment pledges by companies, including Microsoft, to expand AI access and infrastructure in countries such as India.
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