ISLAMABAD: Bill Gates has announced that he will not participate in India’s AI Impact Summit, adding to the disorder surrounding the event.
According to Reuters, Gates withdrew from his scheduled keynote address just hours before it was set to begin, dealing a further blow to the summit, which was already criticized for poor management, a robotics controversy, and traffic disruptions.
The summit, billed as the first major international AI gathering in the Global South, aimed to showcase India as a key voice in global AI governance. However, organizational issues undermined these efforts.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation stated that Gates opted out to ensure the summit remains focused on its core priorities, despite earlier denials of rumors about his absence.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the summit on Thursday alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.
Yet, mismanagement, including sudden closure of exhibition halls, disputes over robotic exhibits, and roadblocks in Delhi, left many participants frustrated.
