Bill Gates to deliver keynote at India AI Impact Summit, Foundation dismisses no-show speculation
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Bill Gates will attend the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi and deliver his keynote address as scheduled, a spokesperson for the Gates Foundation confirmed on Tuesday, dismissing speculation that the Microsoft co-founder was skipping the event.
Spokesperson rejects reports that Gates would not be present at the summit
“Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation, is attending the India AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled,” the spokesperson said, rejecting reports that he would not be present at the conference.
Earlier, sources had suggested that Gates might not attend after his name briefly disappeared from parts of the summit’s online speaker listings, fuelling speculation of a possible no-show.
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Clarification from the Gates Foundation
The clarification from the Gates Foundation comes amid online discussions referencing documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein. Gates has previously denied any wrongdoing in connection with the matter, describing related allegations as “absolutely absurd and completely false.” While Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s victims, records released by the US Department of Justice include an allegation by Epstein that Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease.
In a separate development, Nvidia said last week that its CEO Jensen Huang would not travel to India for the summit, despite being one of its marquee speakers. However, other prominent technology leaders, including Sundar Pichai of Alphabet and Sam Altman of OpenAI, are scheduled to participate.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is being held at Bharat Mandapam from February 19 to 20. The event has drawn policymakers, technology leaders and industry stakeholders from over 30 countries. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is focused on global cooperation, governance frameworks and innovation in artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw warned that unchecked AI could erode societal trust. Speaking at a fireside chat with Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, Vaishnaw called for global technical and legal safeguards to tackle misinformation, deepfakes and copyright violations, stressing that innovation must remain anchored in trust.