Bill Gates Withdraws From India AI Summit Amid Epstein Scrutiny
- tech360.tv
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates withdrew from India’s AI Impact Summit hours before his scheduled keynote, as scrutiny over his ties to late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein intensified. His foundation stated the move aimed to ensure the focus remained on the summit’s key priorities.
This abrupt withdrawal dealt a fresh blow to the flagship event, which was already marked by organisational lapses, a robot row, and complaints of traffic chaos. Days prior, the foundation had dismissed rumours of Gates' absence.
The foundation’s chief strategy officer and Africa and India chief, Ankur Vora, spoke at the event instead of Gates. The billionaire’s cancellation followed the recent release of United States Justice Department emails.
These emails included communication between Epstein and The Gates Foundation’s staff. Gates previously stated his relationship with Epstein was confined to philanthropy-related discussions, acknowledging it was a mistake to meet the sex offender.
Despite these issues, the six-day summit secured more than USD 200 billion in investment pledges for AI infrastructure in India. This included a USD 110 billion plan announced by Reliance Industries.
India's Tata Group also signed a partnership deal with OpenAI during the event. Gates was among top technology leaders expected to attend, including Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai, OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman, and Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei.
Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang also cancelled his appearance, which contributed to a difficult opening for the summit. The event was billed as the first major AI forum in the Global South, where India aims to be a leading voice in worldwide AI governance.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the gathering alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. Modi called for maintaining children's safety on AI platforms, stating the AI space should be child- and family-guided like a school syllabus.
The event also saw the formal launch of the New Delhi Frontier AI Commitments, voluntary principles adopted by leading AI companies. These commitments aim to advance inclusive, responsible development of frontier AI models.
A photoshoot during the launch created an awkward moment when Altman and Amodei, chiefs of rival AI firms OpenAI and Anthropic, stood side by side but did not hold hands as other executives did. Altman also told the gathering that 100 million people in India use ChatGPT each week.
Organisational lapses marred India's first major AI summit, leading to attendee frustration over perceived planning shortcomings by the Indian government. Exhibition halls were unexpectedly closed to the public, disappointing participating companies with stalls.
The venue compound appeared largely deserted after three days of large crowds. Indian university Galgotias was asked to vacate its stall after a staff member presented a commercially available robotic dog, made in China, as its own creation.
Police repeatedly shut roads to prioritise VIP movement, causing chaos in the city of 20 million people. The Indian government apologised for the inconvenience experienced by attendees in the initial days.
Opposition parties criticised the government and the Prime Minister for poorly managing the global summit. Microsoft researcher Jay Gala stated on a social media website that researchers and builders were treated as if they did not matter, facing hours of blocking for officials' passage.
Bill Gates withdrew from India's AI Impact Summit due to intensified scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
The summit secured over USD 200 billion in AI infrastructure investment pledges for India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the summit, advocating for child safety on AI platforms.
Source: REUTERS
