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Bill Gates to Attend AI Impact Summit, Foundation Confirms

The news reports on Gates for “not attending the AI summit” created ripples among the industry leaders as he was featured among the top tech moguls, policymakers, founders, and technologists participating as speakers on the official website of the AI Impact Summit, which is underway in the national capital from February 16.

The speculations, however, started after the AI Summit website did not show his name. However, according to a news flash by a Delhi-based news agency, Gates will be attending the event as well as giving a keynote address as planned. As per the news agency, Gates Foundation spokesperson said: "Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation, is attending the India AI Impact Summit and he will be delivering his keynote as scheduled."

On Tuesday morning, it was learnt that his name went missing from the key participants’ list. However, the government sources said Gates will not be attending the Summit, but did not indicate the reason for his absence. But he was listed as a keynote speaker on February 19 - the day all the bigwigs will descend at Bharat Mandapam. He was given a 12-minute speaking slot at 11:50 hours. “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 government sources suggested.

However, Union minister for information & broadcasting, and electronics & information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, who is leading the AI show, did not give a direct reply to reporters at a scheduled press conference when asked about Gates' participation. He, however, gave reasons for Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang pulling out of the summit at the last moment. “I forgot (like) many other things, regarding who’s attending, who’s not attending," he said in response to questions on the participation of Gates. “That's personal choices which people make. I need not comment on that.”

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.

With the allegation, Gates’s spokesperson had previously called the claim “absolutely absurd”. Late last week, Nvidia said its CEO, Jensen Huang, would not travel to India to attend the Summit. Huang was one of the biggest attractions at the Summit. While the company had not given any reason for the move, some had linked it to the presence of Gates at the event.
Asked about his absence, Vaishnaw said that Jansen reached out to us, and he said that because of something really unavoidable. He was very keen to work through. But he has deputed a very senior executive to join us. “Some people not attending was their personal choice. I would not like to comment on it,” the minister reiterated.

Gates arrived in India on 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 had welcomed Gates at the Vijayawada international airport on the same day.