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Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks during a discussion on innovation hosted by Reuters in Washington, U.S., April 18, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW DELHI:
Bill Gates pulled out of India’s AI Impact Summit hours before his scheduled keynote on Thursday, as scrutiny over his ties to late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein intensified following the release of US Justice Department emails.
The abrupt withdrawal of Microsoft’s co-founder dealt a fresh blow to a flagship event already marred by organizational lapses, a robot row and complaints of traffic chaos.
The six-day event still notched more than $200 billion in investment pledges for AI infrastructure in India, including a $110 billion plan announced by Reliance Industries on Thursday.
India’s Tata Group also signed a partnership deal with OpenAI.
Gates’ cancellation follows the release of emails last month by the DOJ that included communication between late financier and convicted sex offender Epstein and the Gates Foundation’s staff.
The foundation said the billionaire will not deliver his address “to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities”.
Only days ago, the foundation had dismissed rumours of his absence and insisted he was on track to attend.
The foundation’s chief strategy officer and Africa and India chief Ankur Vora spoke instead of Gates.
A representative for the philanthropic organisation, started by Gates and his then-wife in 2000, did not respond to a Reuters query on whether the withdrawal was linked to scrutiny over the Epstein files.
Gates has said the relationship was confined to philanthropy-related discussions and that it was a mistake for him to meet the sex offender.
