Speculation swirled on Tuesday over whether Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates would attend the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, after reports and his foundation issued conflicting statements about his participation.
Earlier in the day, government sources indicated that Gates would not be present at the high-profile gathering, which is being held at Bharat Mandapam from 16 to 20 February. However, a spokesperson for the Gates Foundation later confirmed to Mint that Gates is attending the summit and will deliver his keynote address as scheduled.
“Bill Gates is attending the AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled,” the spokesperson said.
Name briefly removed from official list
Gates had been listed on the summit’s official website as a keynote speaker on 19 February, with a 12 minute speaking slot at 11.50 am, a day expected to see several prominent global technology leaders in attendance.
On Tuesday morning, however, his name temporarily disappeared from the key participants’ list, fuelling uncertainty about his plans.
When asked about Gates’ participation during a press conference, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw did not provide a direct response.
“I forgot many other things, regarding who’s attending, who’s not attending,” he said. “That’s personal choices which people make. I need not comment on that.”
Nvidia CEO refuses to attent the AI Summit
The uncertainty over Gates’ attendance followed news that Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, would not travel to India for the summit.
While Nvidia did not publicly cite a reason for Huang’s withdrawal, some observers speculated about a possible link to Gates’ presence at the event.
Addressing Huang’s absence, Vaishnaw said the Nvidia chief had conveyed that he was unable to attend due to “something really unavoidable”, but had deputed a senior executive to represent the company.
The minister added that Nvidia is in discussions with Indian firms over significant artificial intelligence investments and is collaborating with software companies to develop multiple use cases, though he declined to disclose further details.
Gates begins India visit in Andhra Pradesh
Despite the confusion in Delhi, Gates arrived in India on Monday and began his visit in Vijayawada. He met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, along with senior state officials.
State ministers including Nara Lokesh, Vangalapudi Anitha, K Archannaidu and Y Satya Kumar received Gates at Vijayawada International Airport.
(With inputs from PTI)
