New Delhi: Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Thursday pulled out of the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit and will not deliver a keynote address.Originally, Gates was supposed to be one of the keynote speakers at the event. However, Gates came under heavy criticism after his name appeared in parts of Epstein documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice.The Gates Foundation said in a post on X that the organization will be represented by Ankur Vora, president of the Africa and India offices.The Gates Foundation said: “After careful consideration and to ensure that the focus remains on the key priorities of the Artificial Intelligence Summit, Mr. Gates will not deliver the keynote address. The Gates Foundation will be represented by Ankur Vora, President of the Africa and India Office, who will speak at the Summit later today.”“The Gates Foundation remains fully committed to our work in India to advance our shared health and development goals,” it added.Gates is listed as a speaker on the official website of the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit, taking place in the nation’s capital from February 16 to 20, which includes tech moguls, industry leaders, policymakers, founders and technology experts.The clarification comes against the backdrop of recent allegations against Gates citing documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. Gates’ name appears in some documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice.In a note cited in the materials, Epstein allegedly claimed he helped Gates obtain drugs “to deal with the consequences of having sex with a Russian girl.” Gates has flatly denied the accusations. Speaking to Nine News, he described the comments as “absolutely ridiculous and completely wrong”.In a separate NPR interview, Melinda French Gates said her ex-husband’s meetings with Epstein were one of the factors that led to the end of their 27-year marriage.Previously, government sources said Gates would attend the meeting. However, a spokesman for his foundation refuted this statement, saying, “Bill Gates is attending the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit. He will deliver the keynote speech as scheduled.”However, Tuesday’s summit website did not list his name among the key speakers.
