New Delhi: After days of speculation, Bill Gates will not deliver his scheduled keynote address at the AI Impact Summit 2026, with the Gates Foundation announcing the decision just hours before the speech on Thursday. The foundation had said the previous day that the keynote would be held as planned.
However, it was announced Thursday morning on X that the Microsoft founder would be skipping the speech.
The institution said in a brief statement that the decision was taken “after careful consideration” to ensure that attention remained on the main priorities of the summit. Gates was scheduled to deliver a short but high-profile speech about the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence. His withdrawal comes amid renewed public debate over his past association with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after emails bearing his name were published in late January. In recent weeks, some opposition parties and media commentators in India have questioned whether Gates’ presence at the summit was appropriate. Despite the debate, preparations appeared unchanged earlier this week. On Tuesday, the foundation’s India office announced that Gates would attend the summit and deliver his keynote address as scheduled. The foundation said that Ankur Vora, head of its offices in Africa and India, will deliver the keynote address instead of Gates. The Foundation added that it remains fully committed to its work in India to advance shared health and development goals.
