Bill Gates did not attend India’s AI Impact Summit, where he was due to speak as a keynote speaker, just hours before he was due to speak, he was pulled back from the limelight over his past dealings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The controversy resurfaced with the release of emails from the US Justice Department that showed communication between Epstein and the staff at the Gates Foundation.
The foundation said Gates decided not to attend “in order to ensure that focus remains on the key priorities of the AI Summit.” Earlier, it had dismissed speculation on his absence.
Gates has insisted that his meetings were not about anything other than philanthropy with Epstein and has referred to the association as an error.
Summit Still Wins Major Investment
Despite the setback, the six-day summit did record more than $200 billion of investment pledges in AI.
Reliance Industries presents a $110 billion AI infrastructure plan, Tata Group signed a deal with OpenAI.
Top world tech heads were expected including the CEO of Google Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang had also cancelled before.
Modi’s Speech on Artificial Intelligence
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the gathering together with French President Emmanuel Macron. Modi emphasised on protecting children on AI platforms and making a call for responsible innovation.
The summit was the launchpad for New Delhi Frontier AI Commitments, voluntary principles for promoting the development of inclusive AI.
Altman noticed the fact that 100 million people in India now use ChatGPT in a week.
Organisational Failures and Public Anger
The event was criticised because of management problems. Exhibition halls were suddenly shut for public access and roads were closed constantly for the movement of VIPs, which created chaos throughout New Delhi.
In another controversy, Galgotias University had been asked to remove its stall after having showcased a Chinese-made robotic dog as its own invention.
Opposition parties criticised the government’s handling of what they billed as a landmark on Artificial Intelligence (AI) forum for the Global South.
Also read: Shame for India: India’s IT minister apologises for AI summit mismanagement
