Bill Gates withdrew from India’s AI Impact Summit just hours before he was due to deliver the keynote address on Thursday, dealing a fresh setback to an event already overshadowed by organisational missteps, a robotics controversy and severe traffic disruptions.
His absence — followed by a separate cancellation from Jensen Huang of Nvidia — added to the troubled launch of a summit promoted as the first major artificial intelligence forum in the Global South. India has been positioning itself as a prominent voice in shaping global AI governance.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation stated that Gates chose not to speak in order to keep attention on the summit’s core agenda. Just days earlier, the foundation had rejected speculation about his absence, maintaining that he would attend.
The cancellation followed the release of emails by the U.S. Department of Justice last month, which included exchanges between the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and foundation staff. Gates has previously said his interactions with Epstein were limited to philanthropic discussions and acknowledged that meeting him was a mistake.
Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged stronger safeguards for children using AI platforms. He shared the stage with French President Emmanuel Macron, Sundar Pichai of Google, Sam Altman of OpenAI, and Dario Amodei of Anthropic.
“We must exercise greater vigilance when it comes to children’s safety. Just as school curricula are carefully designed, AI platforms should also be guided with families and children in mind,” Modi said, after posing for photographs with global tech leaders in a symbolic show of unity.
An awkward moment unfolded during the photo opportunity when Altman and Amodei — heads of rival AI firms — stood next to each other but did not join hands, unlike the others on stage.
India’s first large-scale AI summit has faced criticism over planning shortcomings, with participants voicing frustration over what they described as inadequate organisation by authorities.
Chaos and traffic disruption
In an unexpected move, exhibition halls were closed to the public on Thursday, triggering anger among companies that had invested in setting up booths and displays. After three days of heavy footfall, the venue appeared largely empty.
Earlier in the week, Galgotias University was directed to dismantle its stall after a staff member allegedly showcased a commercially available robotic dog manufactured in China as an in-house innovation, prompting public backlash.
Security arrangements for VIPs led police to shut key roads, causing widespread disruption across Delhi, a city of roughly 20 million residents. Social media footage showed attendees walking long distances after road closures left taxis unavailable and no shuttle services in place.
Opposition leader Mahua Moitra criticised the mismanagement on X, saying it had tarnished India’s global image.
Despite the turmoil, more than $100 billion in AI-related investment commitments were announced during the summit, including pledges from the Adani Group, Microsoft, and data centre operator Yotta Infrastructure.
