Bill Gates pulls out of India's AI summit amid Epstein files controversy
Source: BBC Technology
Withdrawal from the India AI Impact Summit
The Gates Foundation announced that Bill Gates will not deliver his scheduled keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The decision was described as being made after “careful consideration” to keep the focus on the summit’s key priorities. Ankur Vora, president of the Foundation’s Africa and India offices, will speak in Gates’s place. The Foundation reiterated its “full commitment” to its work in India on shared health and development goals.
Context and controversy
Gates’s withdrawal comes amid renewed scrutiny of his past ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein. New files released by the U.S. Department of Justice in January mentioned Gates’s name, although he has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims, and the appearance of his name does not imply criminal activity.
Other speakers and summit themes
Despite Gates’s absence, the summit featured a roster of high‑profile speakers, including:
- Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI
- Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic
- Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
- Emmanuel Macron, President of France
- Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary‑General
- Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google
Key messages emphasized the democratization of AI, inclusive development for the Global South, and collaborative approaches to innovation. Modi called for technology sharing so that “humans don’t just become a data point for AI.” Macron urged a shift from “let’s do more” to “let’s do better together.” Guterres warned against AI governance being decided by a handful of countries or a few billionaires.
Google highlighted India’s growing AI role, announcing plans for a full‑stack AI hub in Vishakhapatnam to create jobs and advance cutting‑edge AI. Mukesh Ambani pledged a $110 billion investment over seven years to build India’s AI ecosystem. Anthropic expressed interest in collaborating with India on testing and evaluating models for safety and security risks.
Gates’s recent activities in India
Prior to the summit, Gates was traveling in India, visiting the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. During the visit he discussed initiatives aimed at improving health, agriculture, education, and technology. Earlier media speculation suggested he might pull out of the summit; the Foundation initially indicated he would still deliver his address before confirming his withdrawal.
The five‑day summit includes policy discussions, startup showcases, and closed‑door meetings on AI governance, infrastructure, and innovation, with investment pledges from companies such as Microsoft to expand AI access and infrastructure in India.