New Delhi: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates did not deliver the keynote address he was previously scheduled for at the India AI Impact Summit, his foundation said Thursday.
While the Foundation did not give any reasons, the decision comes after organisers expressed discomfort at giving Gates the stage after his name appeared in documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Government sources February 17 stated that an invitation extended to Gates for the Summit, much before the Epstein episode was revealed, has been withdrawn, and he will not be participating in the five-day conference that started February 16.
On that day, a spokesperson for the Gates Foundation quickly contradicted to say he is indeed participating.
On Thursday, the Gates Foundation said he will not speak at the summit so as not to shift the focus of the Summit.
“The Gates Foundation will be represented by Ankur Vora, President of Africa and India Offices, who will speak later today at the Summit,” the Gates Foundation said in a post on X. “After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities, Mr Gates will not be delivering his keynote address.”
The Gates Foundation further said it remains fully committed to its work in India to advance shared health and development goals.
Gates featured among the tech moguls, industry leaders, policymakers, founders, and technologists participating as speakers on the official website of the AI Impact Summit.
Meanwhile, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Meta’s Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar, and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, among other tech leaders, attended the summit.
On Tuesday morning, his name went missing from the key participants’ list. He was listed as a keynote speaker February 19 – the day all the bigwigs would descend at Bharat Mandapam. He was given a 12-minute speaking slot at 1150 hours.
Government sources had previously stated that Gates will not attend the Summit as his name figures in the files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and may create some discomfort.
The key participant list was decided months in advance, while the Epstein file revelations have been made in recent weeks.
While Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims, records released by the US justice department include an allegation by Epstein that Bill Gates caught a sexually transmitted disease.
Gates’s spokesperson had previously called the claim “absolutely absurd”.
Gates arrived in India Monday. His first stop during the visit was Vijayawada, where he met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan, and senior state government officials.
Ministers Nara Lokesh, Vangalapudi Anitha, K Archannaidu, and Y Satya Kumar welcomed Gates at the Vijayawada international airport Monday.