Published Feb 19, 2026 | 9:53 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 19, 2026 | 10:30 AM
Bill Gates.
Synopsis: The Gates Foundation of India said Microsoft founder Bill Gates will not be delivering the keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. His absence is said to be due to the controversy over his name figuring in files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Gates Foundation of India, on Thursday, 19 February, said Microsoft founder Bill Gates will not be delivering the keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in 2026, New Delhi.
“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,” it said in a post on X.
Earlier, government sources suggested Gates would not attend the summit, which may be due to the controversy over his name figuring in files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
India AI Impact Summit 2026 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 16 February, which is said to be the first international AI summit hosted in the Global South.
The summit is scheduled from 16 to 20 February alongside the India AI Impact Expo 2026.
The Gates Foundation said its Africa and India Offices president, Ankur Vora, will attend the summit on Thursday.
“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,” it said.
Gates’ visit to Andhra Pradesh on 16 February had drawn condemnation because of his ties to Epstein. Gates had received a royal welcome in Andhra Pradesh from Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and several cabinet members.
Jeffrey Epstein was a wealthy American financier who became the central figure in one of the biggest sex-trafficking cases in recent US history.
His list of connections spanned some of the most powerful and well-known figures across media, cinema, business, politics, academia, and more across the world.
The relationship between Gates and Epstein first came to public light in 2019 after Epstein’s second arrest.
Gates met with Epstein after his 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution. The two met on multiple occasions starting in 2011, according to the New York Times.
The Gates Foundation is a private foundation set up by Gates and his former wife, Melinda Gates, to “enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty”.
From the start, the organisation has faced criticism for its outsized role in shaping policy agendas in countries across the global South. Critics say it prioritises the interests of large pharmaceutical and agribusiness companies over those of people in developing countries.
