Living under the shadow of the revelations of new files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, billionaire and Microsoft founder Bill Gates decided to cancel his participation in the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit in New Delhi, India, just hours before taking the stage for the main speech. The cancellation occurred this Thursday (19), according to an official statement from the Gates Foundation.
According to the foundation itself, Gates would not give the talk “to ensure that the focus remains on the summit’s fundamental priorities.” In a statement, the organization said that “after careful consideration, and to ensure that the focus remains on the fundamental priorities of the AI Summit, Mr. Gates will not deliver his keynote address.” The Gates Foundation was represented at the summit by Ankur Vora, president of the institution’s offices in Africa and India.
The cancellation occurred less than 48 hours after the foundation publicly stated that Gates would normally participate in the event. According to the British newspaper The Guardianthe decision comes amid increased pressure and questions about the businessman’s relationship with Epstein, intensified after the release of new documents about the case related to the American financier, who was being investigated for sexual trafficking of minors, at the end of January.
Gates declared that he “regrets” having had contact with Epstein and denied allegations attributed to emails released in January, classifying them as “false”. In one of the messages, attributed to the financier, Epstein states that Gates had maintained extramarital relationships and sought antibiotics for his then-wife, Melinda, after allegedly contracting a sexually transmitted infection – a version that the businessman rejects.
The AI Impact Summit brings together political leaders and technology sector executives. Speeches were planned from authorities such as the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and the Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Executives from companies such as OpenAI, Google and Anthropic also participate.
