New Delhi : Bill Gates will attend the India AI Impact Summit 2026 and deliver his keynote as scheduled, a spokesperson for the Gates Foundation said on Tuesday. Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation, is attending the India AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled,” the spokesperson said, dismissing reports that the Microsoft co-founder would not be present at the New Delhi conference.
Sources had indicated that Gates would not attend the summit, with his name no longer visible on parts of the event’s online speaker listings, fuelling speculation about a possible no-show. The clarification restores him to the roster of high-profile global speakers at the event. The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is being held at Bharat Mandapam from February 19 to 20. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the summit aims to bring together global leaders, policymakers and technology executives to deliberate on AI governance, regulatory frameworks and international cooperation.
Opening day proceedings, however, witnessed logistical challenges, including overcrowding and connectivity issues, which drew criticism from some attendees. The clarification comes against the backdrop of recent online discussions referencing documents linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. Gates’s name appears in portions of documents released by the US Justice Department. In one note cited in the material, Epstein allegedly claimed he had helped Gates obtain drugs “to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls”.
Melinda French Gates said her former husband’s meetings with Epstein were among the factors that contributed to the end of their 27-year marriage. Gates arrived in India earlier this week and was received in Andhra Pradesh by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and state minister Nara Lokesh. The visit centred on discussions around collaboration in health, agriculture, education and technology-driven governance. Naidu said he revisited his long-standing association with Gates dating back to 1997, when he pitched his vision for building a technology ecosystem in the state.
