Bill Gates Pulls Out of India AI Impact Summit After Links to Epstein Resurface in Latest Files

Bill Gates has cancelled his keynote speech at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi just hours before he was due to appear as fresh controversy swirls around his past links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement released shortly before the address, the Gates Foundation said: “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.” No further explanation was given.

The decision follows renewed attention over Gates’ name appearing in documents released by the US Department of Justice in January. The files include draft emails allegedly written by Epstein that contain unverified claims about Gates’ personal life. Gates has denied any wrongdoing.

A spokesperson previously described the allegations as “absolutely absurd and completely false.” Gates himself said: “Apparently Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent, the email is you know, false. So I don’t know what his thinking was there. It just reminds me, you know, every minute I spent with him I regret and I, you know, apologize that I did that.”

He added: “It’s factually true that I was only at dinners, you know, I never went to the island. I never met any women. And so, you know, the more that comes out, the more clear it’ll be that although the time was a mistake, it had nothing to do with that kind of behavior.”

Gates has not been accused of criminal activity by Epstein’s victims, and the Department of Justice is continuing to remind the public that appearing in the files does not in itself suggest that the person named committed any illegal conduct.

The five-day India AI Impact Summit is designed to showcase India’s ambitions in artificial intelligence, with leaders from more than 100 countries attending. Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the event on Thursday morning, which has been billed as a major platform for positioning India as a global AI hub.

Earlier in the week, Gates Foundation India had confirmed on social media: “Bill Gates is attending the AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled.” His withdrawal marks a sharp change in plans.

The foundation said Ankur Vora, president of its Africa and India offices, would speak instead. It added that it remains committed to its health and development work in India.

The summit has also faced other setbacks. An Indian university was asked to remove its stall after presenting a robotic dog as its own innovation, only for online users to identify it as a Chinese-made model. Attendees reported long queues and confusion on the opening day, while two maintenance workers were later arrested over the alleged theft of wearable devices from an exhibitor’s stand.

Despite the disruption, several global figures addressed the gathering. Sam Altman urged governments to move quickly on oversight, saying the world should “urgently” regulate AI. “Democratisation of AI is the best way to ensure humanity flourishes,” he said, warning that concentrating the technology in one company or country “could lead to ruin”. “This is not to suggest that we won't need any regulation or safeguards,” Altman added. “We obviously do, urgently, like we have for other powerful technologies.”

Modi echoed calls for wider access to AI, saying technology must be shared “so that humans don't just become a data point for AI or remain a raw material for AI”.

French President Emmanuel Macron also pushed for global cooperation, saying the focus should shift from “let's do more” to “let's do better together”.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted India’s growing role in AI development and said the company is working on building an AI hub in Vishakhapatnam. Meanwhile, billionaire Mukesh Ambani pledged $110bn over seven years to strengthen India’s AI ecosystem.