Bill Gates’ AI Summit attendance uncertain, conflicting reports emerge

Confusion surrounds Bill Gates’s participation in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, with government sources saying he won’t attend, while his foundation confirms he will deliver a keynote on February 19 during the ongoing February 16–20 event

New Delhi: Confusion prevailed on Tuesday over Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates attending the high-profile AI Impact Summit with government sources saying he will not attend the meeting while a spokesperson of his foundation contradicted, saying he is.

Gates featured among the tech moguls, industry leaders, policymakers, founders, and technologists listed as speakers on the official website of the AI Impact Summit, underway in the national capital from February 16-20.

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The summit website on Tuesday, however, did not show his name among the key speakers.

Government sources said Gates will not be attending the Summit.

A spokesperson for his foundation in an emailed response to PTI said, “Bill Gates is attending the AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled.” He was listed as a keynote speaker on Feburary 19 at 11.50 hours.

Government sources suggesting that Gates will not attend the Summit may be due to his name figuring in files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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.

Gates’s spokesperson has previously called the claim “absolutely absurd”.

Late last week, Nvidia said its CEO Jensen Huang will 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 presence of Gates at the event.

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 Monday.