New Delhi: Confusion persisted on Tuesday over whether Bill Gates will attend the high-profile AI Impact Summit in the national capital, as government sources and a spokesperson from his foundation offered contradictory statements.
Government sources indicated that the Microsoft co-founder would not be attending the summit. However, a spokesperson for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation refuted the claim in an emailed response to PTI, stating, “Bill Gates is attending the AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled.”
Gates was earlier listed among prominent speakers — including tech leaders, policymakers, and industry experts — on the summit’s official website. He was scheduled to deliver a keynote address on February 19 at 11:50 am. However, his name was not visible among key speakers on the website as of Tuesday.
Speculation around his participation intensified amid references to records released by the US Justice Department related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. While Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims, documents reportedly include an allegation by Epstein that Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease — a claim his spokesperson has previously termed “absolutely absurd.”
Meanwhile, tech giant Nvidia announced last week that its CEO Jensen Huang would not travel to India to attend the summit. Although the company did not specify a reason, some observers linked the decision to reports regarding Gates’ presence at the event.
Gates arrived in India on Monday. During his visit, he travelled to Vijayawada where he met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, and other senior state officials. He was received at Vijayawada International Airport by ministers Nara Lokesh, Vangalapudi Anitha, K. Atchannaidu, and Y. Satya Kumar.
Further clarity on his participation in the AI Impact Summit is awaited.
