As Bill Gates comes under increased scrutiny for his connections to infamous Jeffrey Epstein, He canceled his keynote address at the AI symposium scheduled in India on Thursday. The Gates foundation revealed its decision to withdraw from the AI Impact Summit just hours before it was scheduled.
According to CNN, he was scheduled to speak to attendees that included Mukesh Ambani and French President Emmanuel Macron.
“After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities, Mr. Gates will not be delivering his keynote address,” the foundation said in a statement.
His foundation did not, however, give a clear explanation for this choice. Bill Gates’ attendance at the AI summit was confirmed by the organization just two days before to the cancellation. The AI Impact Summit is being attended by Bill Gates. As planned, he will give his keynote address,” the organization wrote on X on Tuesday.
However, there is conjecture that his abrupt withdrawal from the meeting may have been caused by the uproar surrounding the freshly leaked Epstein-related documents.
The US Department of Justice released around three million Epstein files in late January. The cache of documents brought to light the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to high-profile figures including Bill Gates.
The founder of Microsoft has come under fire when the files revealed Bill Gates’ relationship with the notorious financier, including allegation that Epstein facilitated sexual encounters for Gates.
The emails also exposed Gates’ intimate relations with “Russian girls” and his sexually transmitted infection.
The 70-year-old has strongly denied these claims as “false” and expressed remorse over his close association with Jeffrey Epstein.
“Every minute I spent with him, I regret,” Gates told Australian news outlet 9News earlier this month.
AI Impact Summit is currently underway in New Delhi and has been dubbed as one of the biggest AI conferences in the Global South.
