NEW DELHI, February 19 – Bill Gates has pulled out of the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit in India just hours before his scheduled keynote speech on Thursday, dealing another blow to an event already beset by organizational problems and controversy.
The Microsoft founder's absence was followed by the cancellation of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's participation. The summit was billed as the first major artificial intelligence forum in the "Global South", where India aims to position itself as a leading voice in global AI governance.
The Gates Foundation said the billionaire would not be speaking “to ensure the focus remains on the summit’s key priorities.” Just days earlier, the foundation had denied reports of his absence. The withdrawal comes after the U.S. Department of Justice released emails that included communications between the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and Gates Foundation staff. Gates has previously said that his meetings with Epstein were solely philanthropic and that it was a mistake to meet with him.
Modi: More vigilance for child safety
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders of companies such as Google, OpenAI and Anthropic, stressed the importance of protecting children in the artificial intelligence space.
"We need to be even more vigilant about the safety of children. Just as a school curriculum is carefully crafted, the AI space should also be guided by keeping the child and family at the center," Modi declared.
Chaos and discontent
However, the summit faced harsh criticism for a lack of organization. The exhibition halls were suddenly closed to the public, causing anger among participating companies that had invested in stands and pavilions.
Another controversy erupted when the Indian university Galgotias was forced to remove its stand after an employee presented a robotic dog commercially produced in China as his own creation.
Police closed several roads to VIP traffic, causing major traffic jams in Delhi, a city of more than 20 million people. Footage on social media showed attendees walking for miles due to a lack of taxis and public transportation services.
The summit, which aimed to showcase India's global ambitions in the field of artificial intelligence, began amid sensational cancellations and widespread dissatisfaction.
