Will Bill Gates attend AI Impact Summit? Foundation says yes, reports say no

Confusion ruled over Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates attending the ongoing AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Tuesday (February 17). While several reports cited "government sources" to claim that he would not attend it over his name appearing in the Epstein Files, the Bill Gates Foundation spokesperson told news agency PTI that he certainly would.

Gates featured among the tech moguls, industry leaders, policymakers, founders, and technologists listed as speakers on the official website of the AI Impact Summit, underway in the national capital from February 16-20.

The summit website on Tuesday, however, did not show his name among the key speakers.

A spokesperson for his foundation in an emailed response to PTI said, "Bill Gates is attending the AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled." He was listed as a keynote speaker on Februrary 19 at 11.50 hours.

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But the summit website on Tuesday did not show his name. Government sources told PTI as well as other media houses that Gates would not attend the Summit.

Epstein files link

The move, they reportedly said, was linked to Gates being named in new files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Although Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims, newly released US Justice Department records include an allegation by Epstein that he contracted a sexually transmitted disease from Gates — a claim the latter's spokesperson has dismissed as “absolutely absurd.”

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Late last week, Nvidia said its CEO Jensen Huang would not to travel to India to attend the Summit. Huang was one of the biggest attractions at the Summit.

While the company had not given any reason for the move, some had linked it to presence of Gates at the event.

Gates in India

Gates arrived in India on Monday (February 16). On the first day of his trip, he met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada, along with Deputy chief minister K Pawan Kalyan, and senior state government officials.

Ministers Nara Lokesh, Vangalapudi Anitha, K Archannaidu, and Y Satya Kumar had welcomed Gates at the Vijayawada international airport on Monday.

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Gates was engaged in several activities in the greenfield capital city of Amaravati, reviewing presentations on the use of technology in governance and also a visit to a banana orchard by the Krishna river bank in Undavalli village in Guntur district.

He expressed his admiration for the southern state’s innovations across health, agriculture and education.

On Tuesday (February 17), he hailed Andhra Pradesh’s rapid development, saying it was exciting to see the state’s growth being accelerated through AI and technology.

He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Naidu for their key role and heaped praise on Naidu for his long-term vision, saying a majority of IT experts, including many at Microsoft, are from the Telugu states.

Major AI summit in Global South

The India AI Impact Summit 2026, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 16. The fourth AI Summit, after summits in the UK, South Korea, and France, is the first major global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South.

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PM Modi is scheduled to address the main plenary session on February 19, and will meet about 30-40 CEOs on the sidelines of the summit.

(With agency inputs)