Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, unexpectedly withdrew from his scheduled keynote address at India's AI Impact Summit just hours before the event. His cancellation was attributed to the growing scrutiny surrounding his past associations with Jeffrey Epstein, particularly following the release of sensitive emails from the US Justice Department. The Gates Foundation stated that the decision was made to avoid distraction from the summit's main objectives and priorities.

This move came at a challenging time for the AI Impact Summit, which had already faced issues including organizational mismanagement, concerns about participant safety, and public backlash over traffic disruptions caused by the event. The absence of Gates, a significant figure in the tech industry, further complicated the summit's already precarious situation and highlighted the difficulties of hosting large-scale tech events amid intense public and media scrutiny.

Despite the setback of notable withdrawals, the six-day summit successfully secured over US$200 billion in investment pledges for AI infrastructure in India, showcasing the country's burgeoning role in the global AI landscape. Nonetheless, the controversies surrounding high-profile attendees like Gates may provoke broader discussions about accountability and ethical standards within the tech community.