By abcnews
Publication Date: 2026-02-19 22:01:00
Bill Gates has pulled out of India’s AI Impact Summit hours before his scheduled keynote address as investigations into his ties to late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein intensified following the release of US Justice Department emails.
The Microsoft co-founder’s sudden withdrawal dealt a new blow to a flagship event already marred by organizational failures, a row over robots and complaints about traffic chaos.
The six-day event still saw more than $US200 billion ($284 billion) in investment commitments for AI infrastructure in India, including a $US110 billion ($156 billion) plan announced by Reliance Industries on Thursday.
The Indian Tata Group also signed a partnership agreement with OpenAI.
Mr. Gates’ cancellation follows the US Justice Department’s release last month of emails that contained communications between the late financier and convicted sex offender Epstein and employees of the Gates Foundation.
