Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has pulled out of delivering a keynote address at India’s AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, hours before he was scheduled to speak, his philanthropic organisation confirmed.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said the decision was made after “careful consideration” and “to ensure the focus remains on the [summit’s] key priorities,” without providing further details.
Gates’ withdrawal comes amid renewed scrutiny over his past association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, following the release of new files by the US Department of Justice in January.
A spokesperson for Gates has described claims contained in the files as “absolutely absurd and completely false.” Gates has previously said he regretted spending time with Epstein. He has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims, and the appearance of his name in the documents does not imply criminal activity.
The foundation announced that Ankur Vora, president of its Africa and India offices, would address the summit in Gates’ place, adding that it remains “fully committed” to advancing shared health and development goals in India.
Gates is currently in India and earlier visited Andhra Pradesh, where he reportedly discussed initiatives spanning health, agriculture, education and technology. His decision not to attend followed days of uncertainty, during which the foundation had initially indicated he would proceed with the address as scheduled.
His absence is viewed as a setback for the five-day summit, which India has positioned as a flagship event aimed at cementing its role as a global hub for artificial intelligence. The gathering features policy discussions, start-up showcases and high-level meetings on AI governance, infrastructure and innovation, with delegates from more than 100 countries in attendance.
Despite Gates’ withdrawal, prominent global figures took to the stage, including Sam Altman, who called for urgent regulation of artificial intelligence.
“Democratisation of AI is the best way to ensure humanity flourishes,” Altman said, warning that centralising the technology in one company or country “could lead to ruin.” He added: “This is not to suggest that we won’t need any regulation or safeguards. We obviously do, urgently, like we have for other powerful technologies.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron echoed similar sentiments, urging a collaborative global approach to AI development.
Modi stressed that AI must serve as a tool for inclusion and empowerment, particularly for the Global South, saying technology should not reduce people to mere data points. Macron, who held bilateral talks with Modi ahead of the summit, called for a shift in focus from “let’s do more” to “let’s do better together.”
Also addressing the summit, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, cautioned that the future of AI should not be “decided by a handful of countries” or left to the “whims of a few billionaires.”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted India’s expanding role in the AI ecosystem, revealing that the company is working to establish an AI hub in the southern city of Visakhapatnam.
Meanwhile, billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani pledged to invest $110 billion over the next seven years to strengthen India’s AI infrastructure, while Anthropic chief Dario Amodei expressed interest in collaborating with India on testing and evaluating AI models for safety and security risks.
The summit has drawn global attention but has also faced early controversies, including organisational challenges on its opening day and scrutiny over claims by an Indian university to have developed a robot dog that was later revealed to be manufactured in China.
Despite the turbulence, the event continues with high-level discussions focused on shaping the governance and global distribution of artificial intelligence technologies.
