Bill Gates will not deliver his scheduled keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit on Thursday, the Gates Foundation said, amid mounting controversy over recently released U.S. court documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein. ADVERTISEMENTIt added, "The Gates Foundation will be represented by Ankur Vora, President of Africa and India Offices, who will speak later today at the Summit". The documents indicated that Gates and Epstein met several times after Epstein served a prison term, reportedly to discuss expanding Gates’ philanthropic initiatives. The Gates Foundation, established in 2000 by Gates and his then-wife, is among the world’s largest philanthropic organisations funding global health and development initiatives. Gates’ withdrawal marks another setback for the India AI Impact Summit, which has faced criticism over organisational lapses and other disruptions.

Source: The Telegraph February 19, 2026 09:11 UTC