Bill Gates withdraws from India AI summit under Epstein investigation

Bill Gates withdrew from India’s AI Impact Summit just hours before his planned keynote on Thursday, amid growing scrutiny regarding his connections to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following the release of emails from the U.S. Justice Department.

The sudden departure of Microsoft’s co-founder has struck another setback to a key event that was already plagued by organizational issues, a controversy over robots, and grievances regarding traffic disruptions.

The six-day event secured over $200 billion in investment pledges for AI infrastructure in India, highlighted by a $110 billion plan unveiled by Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), which opens a new tab on Thursday. Tata Group from India has entered into a partnership agreement with OpenAI.

The cancellation by Gates comes after the DOJ released emails last month that contained correspondence between the late financier and convicted sex offender Epstein and the staff of the Gates Foundation.

The foundation announced that the billionaire will not be delivering his address “to ensure that the focus remains on the key priorities of the AI Summit”. Just a few days prior, the foundation had refuted speculation regarding his absence and affirmed that he was scheduled to attend.

Ankur Vora, the chief strategy officer of the foundation and head of operations in Africa and India, spoke in place of Gates.

A spokesperson for the philanthropic organization, founded by Gates and his former wife in 2000, did not reply to a Reuters inquiry regarding whether the withdrawal was connected to the scrutiny surrounding the Epstein files.

Gates has stated that the relationship was limited to discussions related to philanthropy and that meeting the sex offender was a mistake on his part.

He was one of the leading figures in technology expected to attend the event alongside prominent individuals such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

Gates’ absence came after another notable cancellation by Nvidia’s Jensen Huang earlier on Saturday, contributing to a challenging start for a summit promoted as the first significant AI forum in the Global South, where India aims to establish itself as a prominent voice in global AI governance.

MODI SPEECH, AI PLEDGES

During his keynote address, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the importance of ensuring children’s safety on AI platforms while speaking to the audience on Thursday, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.

We need to be increasingly attentive to the safety of children. “Just as a school syllabus is thoughtfully curated, the AI space should also be guided by the needs of children and families,” Modi stated, standing on stage alongside leading AI executives and posing for photographs with their arms raised in a display of solidarity.

The photoshoot created an uncomfortable moment as Altman and Amodei, leaders of competing AI companies OpenAI and Anthropic, stood next to each other on stage without holding hands, unlike the other executives present.

The symbolic unity pose marked the official launch of the New Delhi Frontier AI Commitments, a collection of voluntary principles embraced by prominent AI companies at the summit to promote the inclusive and responsible development of frontier AI models. “One hundred million people in India now use ChatGPT each week,” Altman shared with the audience.

While the investment successes are notable, India’s first major AI summit has been overshadowed by organisational shortcomings that have left attendees feeling shocked and frustrated due to what they perceive as inadequate planning by the Indian government.

DISORDER AND CONGESTION

The exhibition halls at the summit were unexpectedly closed to the public on Thursday, resulting in increased frustration among the participating companies that had set up stalls and pavilions. After three days filled with large crowds at the event, the venue compound was mostly deserted.

Galgotias University in India was instructed to leave its stall after a staff member showcased a commercially available robotic dog from China, claiming it as their own invention, which led to significant public backlash.

The police consistently closed roads to prioritize VIP movement during the summit, resulting in disorder in the city of 20 million residents. The Indian government has expressed regret for the inconvenience experienced by attendees during the initial days.

Opposition parties criticized the government and the prime minister for their inadequate handling of the global summit. “The entire summit is, excuse me, was intended for researchers, founders, and builders who are working tirelessly in the field every day.” “Instead, we are treated as if we don’t matter, blocked for hours so that some minister or official can pass through,” Jay Gala, a Microsoft researcher, expressed on the social media platform X.