Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, will not deliver the keynote at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, according to a statement issued by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Wednesday morning. According to multiple reports, this decision comes amid a controversy over his name appearing in recently released documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation in the United States.
In a post on X, the Gates Foundation India stated that the decision was made after internal consideration to ensure that the summit’s focus remains firmly on artificial intelligence and its broader policy and development objectives. Instead of Gates, Ankur Vora, who oversees the foundation’s Africa and India operations, will represent the organization and speak later in the day.
For those unfamiliar, the clarification is followed by speculation after Gates’ name was not included in the updated list of keynote participants at the six-day summit. The India AI Impact Summit, which began earlier this week, is the fourth edition of the global AI conference, following previous editions in the United Kingdom, South Korea, and France. The organisers have described the event as the largest yet, with attendees from over 20 countries and hundreds of global AI leaders.
Coming back, this controversy stems from a recent release of investigative files by the US Justice Department in connection with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The documents included a draft email in which Epstein made allegations about Gates’ personal life. Gates has publicly denied the allegations, stating in a recent media interview that he regrets his association with Epstein and that the contents of the draft message were false. He claims that his interactions with Epstein were limited to discussions about philanthropy and potential fundraising for global health initiatives.