Bill Gates pulls out of India AI summit amid Epstein files fallout

Bill Gates has pulled out of a keynote speech at the AI Impact Summit in India amid mounting pressure in the South Asian country over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Gates arrived in India a few days before he was scheduled to speak, and has met top elected officials in the state of Andhra Pradesh to discuss projects implemented by his foundation.

Rumors began circulating on Tuesday that he would not speak at the event, prompting the Gates Foundation to insist that the billionaire, who divorced in the aftermath of his exposure as a close confidant of Epstein, would attend and address the summit.

However, it later retracted this statement. “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 foundation said on Thursday.

Allegations that Epstein knew Gates hid a sexually transmitted disease from his then-wife surfaced in the latest Epstein files – the trove of 3 million pages of documents, thousands of videos and 180,000 images from the Epstein Estate released by the US Justice Department.

The documents expose close relations between the notorious pedophile sex trafficker and prominent political, business, and tech leaders, including ex-British ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson, Bill Clinton and Gates.

A spokesperson for Gates has called claims in the files “absolutely absurd and completely false.” The billionaire has said he “regrets” knowing Epstein.

“Every minute I spent with him, I regret,” Gates told Australia’s 9 News earlier this month.

News of Gates making the keynote speech at the Delhi AI Summit invited the wrath of several Indian opposition politicians and social activists. He has also been accused of using India as his “laboratory” for ongoing research.

Ankur Vora, president of its Africa and India offices of the Gates Foundation took the billionaire’s place at the summit.

On Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for companies to emphasise child safety when developing AI models. “Friends, from the beginning we have to be more vigilant towards children’s safety,” he said. “Just like a school syllabus is curated, AI spaces should also be child safe and family guided.”

The Gates Foundation has said it is heavily investing in AI to improve global health, education, and development, focusing on equity in low- and middle-income countries. It aims to help health workers and reduce poverty.