Bill Gates cancels India AI summit speech

Bill Gates became a source of controversy at this week’s high-profile India AI Impact Summit; Speculation about his planned keynote speech ended when he withdrew at the last minute.

The drama comes as the Microsoft co-founder faces public backlash over his past relationship with late financier and sex predator Jeffrey Epstein – with more details of the two men’s years of contact revealed in a Justice Department dossier drop last month.

Gates Foundation India said Thursday the billionaire will skip the address”[a]”After careful consideration and to ensure the focus remains on the key priorities of the AI ​​Summit,” he added, he will be replaced by another foundation representative.

The official announcement ended the back-and-forth saga that began earlier this week. local Indian media He noted that Gates’ name was removed from some of the summit’s publicly available materials.

Government sources later told the media that Gates not expected to attend event. But the Gates Foundation issued a contradictory message on Wednesday, insisting that he attended “as planned” before the latest withdrawal.

Asked about Tuesday’s debate, India’s IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters that Gates’ participation would depend on “personal preferences” and added that he had “no need to comment”. Summit organizers and the foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Gates’ absence.

The American tech leader-turned-philanthropist has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks following the release of millions of documents related to financier Jeffrey Epstein under the Epstein File Transparency Act.

The files included a draft email to him in which Epstein claimed the Microsoft co-founder helped facilitate extramarital affairs and sexual encounters for Gates, among other references.

In an interview with Australia’s 9News last month, Gates denied any wrongdoing, commented on the new filings and called Epstein’s allegations “absolutely ridiculous and completely false.”

He emphasized that his interactions with Epstein were limited to dinners aimed at discussing potential philanthropy, adding that he had “never been to an island” and “never met any women.”

The New Delhi Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit, where Gates is scheduled to speak, saw the participation of a number of global leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as leading technology figures such as Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei.

Gates Foundation has invested and also supported India in the field of health and development AI related projects.