Bill Gates cancels India AI Impact Summit keynote, withdrawing from the high-profile New Delhi event hours before he was due to address global leaders, as renewed scrutiny surrounding his past association with Jeffrey Epstein threatens to overshadow the summit’s agenda.
The billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates had been scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the India AI Impact Summit shortly after Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.
His participation had been publicly confirmed earlier in the week following his arrival in India, where his philanthropic organisation partners with the government on health, development and technology programmes.
However, on Thursday morning, Gates abruptly pulled out of the summit. In a statement, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said the decision was taken after careful consideration to ensure the focus remained on the summit’s key priorities, rather than on external issues unrelated to artificial intelligence and development.
The cancellation came less than 48 hours after the foundation had insisted that Gates would attend and deliver his keynote as planned. While the statement did not directly reference Epstein, the timing of the withdrawal followed the release of new documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, which have reignited public debate over the disgraced financier’s relationships with prominent figures.
Gates has previously said he regrets ever knowing Epstein and has described their past interactions as a serious error of judgment.
He has denied allegations that emerged from draft communications attributed to Epstein and has apologised for maintaining contact with him. Earlier this month, Gates said that every minute spent with Epstein was something he deeply regretted.
Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida related to soliciting prostitution, including with a minor, and served part of an 18-month sentence. The continued release of documents connected to his case has kept global attention on individuals previously associated with him.
The India AI Impact Summit is designed to showcase how artificial intelligence can be used for development, governance and social good, particularly in emerging economies.
The event has drawn political leaders, technology executives and international officials, highlighting India’s push to position itself as a key player in global AI leadership.
Among those expected to address the summit are French president Emmanuel Macron, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai, and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. The United Kingdom is represented by deputy prime minister David Lammy and AI minister Kanishka Narayan.
The Gates Foundation confirmed it would still participate in the summit through Ankur Vora, president of its Africa and India offices, and stressed that it remains fully committed to its long-term work in India across health, education and digital innovation.
Broader discussions at the summit have included calls for stronger government leadership in artificial intelligence and warnings against leaving the future of the technology in the hands of a small group of powerful individuals.
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres urged technology leaders to support a multibillion-dollar global fund to ensure equitable access to advanced AI systems.
While organisers continue with the summit’s programme, the decision by Gates to step aside underscores how unresolved reputational issues can disrupt even carefully planned global forums, particularly when public attention risks shifting away from policy, innovation and development goals.
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