Confusion prevailed on Tuesday over Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates attending the high-profile AI Impact Summit with government sources saying he will not attend the meeting while a spokesperson of his foundation contradicted, saying he is.
Gates featured among the tech moguls, industry leaders, policymakers, founders, and technologists listed as speakers on the official website of the AI Impact Summit, underway in the national capital from February 16-20.
The summit website on Tuesday, however, did not show his name among the key speakers. Government sources said Gates will not be attending the Summit.
But a spokesperson for his foundation in an email response said, "Bill Gates is attending the AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled." He was listed as a keynote speaker on Feburary 19 at 11.50 hours.
Government sources suggesting that Gates will not attend the Summit may be due to his name figuring in files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
While Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein's victims, records released by the US justice department include an allegation by Epstein that Bill Gates caught a sexually transmitted disease.
Gates's spokesperson has previously called the claim "absolutely absurd".
This development follows intense social media scrutiny triggered by a fresh tranche of documents linked to convicted sex offender Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. Gates's name appeared in portions of the documents made public by the US Justice Department.
According to a note cited in the documents, Epstein allegedly claimed he helped Gates obtain drugs to deal with the consequences of sexual encounters. Gates has strongly denied any wrongdoing, describing the allegations as “absolutely absurd and completely false,” and dismissing claims regarding his private life during his marriage to Melinda French Gates.
In a separate podcast interview, Melinda French Gates suggested that her former husband’s meetings with Epstein were among the factors contributing to the end of their 27-year marriage.
Gates arrived in India on Monday and was received in Andhra Pradesh by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and state minister Nara Lokesh.
However, the reception accorded to Gates drew criticism from certain political leaders and social media users, who cited the Epstein-linked documents and accused him of improper behaviour.
While Gates stepped down as chairman of Microsoft in 2014, he continues to lead the Gates Foundation’s global philanthropic initiatives.
Also read: High-profile speakers line-up for Day 2 of AI Impact Summit 2026
Follow us
