Bill Gates to skip India AI Impact Summit keynote amid scrutiny over Epstein links

Bill Gates will skip his keynote address on Thursday at the India AI Impact Summit, being held at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The update comes a day after the Gates Foundation confirmed his appearance at the event. The foundation said that the Microsoft co-founder would skip the keynote “after careful consideration.”

Gates, who was scheduled to speak at Bharat Mandapam, was set to headline the high-profile AI gathering. The sudden change comes amid mounting scrutiny over his alleged links referenced in the Epstein files.

In a statement, the 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. The Gates Foundation will be represented by Ankur Vora, President of Africa and India Offices, who will speak later today at the Summit.

The Gates Foundation remains fully committed to our work in India to advance our shared health and development goals," The Gates Foundation stated.

The reversal is notable because just a day earlier, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation had dismissed speculation around his participation, stating that the Microsoft founder “will be delivering his keynote as scheduled.”

The decision now lands against the backdrop of growing online backlash and scrutiny over Gates’ name appearing several times in documents linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.

Backlash and documents

The confusion over his participation followed social media reactions after a fresh tranche of documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, became public. Gates's name appeared in portions released by the US Justice Department.

In one note cited in the documents, Epstein allegedly claimed he had helped Gates obtain drugs “to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls”.

Gates has denied any wrongdoing. In an interview with Nine News, he called the allegations “absolutely absurd and completely false,” rejecting claims that he had contracted a sexually transmitted disease during his marriage to Melinda French Gates.

During a separate podcast interview with NPR, Melinda French Gates suggested that her former husband’s meetings with Epstein were among the factors that contributed to the end of their 27-year marriage