Bill Gates will not deliver the keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit, his philanthropic organisation, the Gates Foundation, confirmed on Wednesday. The decision comes amid renewed controversy after the Microsoft co-founder’s name appeared in recently released Epstein files.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Gates Foundation stated, "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 organisation added that it remains committed to its work in India, saying it continues to support shared health and development goals.
The foundation will instead be represented by Ankur Vora, president of its Africa and India offices, who is scheduled to speak at the summit in New Delhi.
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— Gates Foundation India (@BMGFIndia) February 19, 2026
Gates’ name had briefly disappeared from the list of participants on Tuesday morning. Highly placed sources told NDTV that the government wanted to "stand with the Epstein survivors". His name later reappeared on the agenda last night.
The India AI Impact Summit, which began on Monday, is the fourth annual global gathering focused on artificial intelligence, following previous editions in the UK (2023), South Korea (2024) and France (2025). This year’s event is the largest yet, bringing together leaders from more than 20 countries and over 500 global AI figures, including around 100 CEOs and founders.
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Epstein files mention and Gates’ response
Bill Gates’ name appeared in a tranche of Epstein-related documents released by the US Justice Department last month. In a draft email included in the documents, Jeffrey Epstein alleged that his relationship with Gates ranged from "helping Bill to get drugs, in order to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls, to facilitating his illicit trysts, with married women."
Gates has strongly denied the claims and expressed regret over his association with Epstein. Speaking to 9News Australia, he said, "Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologise." He added, "That email was never sent. The email is false," and questioned Epstein’s motives, asking, "I don't know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way?"
Gates stated that he met Epstein in 2011 and had several dinners with him over three years but never visited his Caribbean island and did not have relations with women. "The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health. In retrospect, that was a dead end," he said.
A spokesperson for Gates also issued a statement after the release of millions of additional documents related to the Epstein investigation.
