<span>STORY: Bill Gates skipped India’s AI Impact Summit on Thursday, hours before he was scheduled to give the keynote address.</span><span>This makes the summit, billed as the first major AI forum in the Global South, even more difficult to open.</span><span>Organized missteps, robot brawls and complaints of traffic disruption marred the flagship event.</span><span>And Nvidia suffered another high-profile absence earlier this week after CEO Jensen Huang announced he would not attend.</span><span>Gates’ cancellation comes after the U.S. Department of Justice last month released emails containing communications between late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Gates Foundation staff.</span><span>India’s Gates Foundation said in a post on X that the decision was made to “stay focused on the AI Summit’s key priorities.”</span><span>Mr. Gates and Mr. Epstein met repeatedly after Mr. Epstein’s sentence ended to discuss expanding Mr. Gates’ philanthropy, the documents show.</span><span>Gates said the relationship was limited to philanthropy-related discussions and that it was a mistake to meet with Epstein.</span><span>Just a few days ago, the foundation denied rumors of his absence and insisted he was scheduled to attend.</span><span>Nevertheless, the six-day event saw more than $200 billion in investment commitments for India’s AI infrastructure, as New Delhi seeks to establish itself as a leading player in global AI governance.</span>
