Bill Gates Backs Out, AI Summit in India Faces Chaos and Criticism

Bill Gates exited the AI Impact Summit in India just hours before his keynote address, escalating difficulties at a high-profile event troubled by organizational mishaps and obstacles for participants. The summit was supposed to be a major AI platform debut in the Global South, aiming to establish India's future role in AI governance.

The Gates Foundation stated the withdrawal was to maintain focus on the summit's leading priorities, dispelling earlier rumors of his no-show. This development follows recent controversy involving past communications between Gates and Jeffrey Epstein. The summit also drew remarks from Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the importance of children's safety in AI interactions.

The event, however, suffered from mismanagement leading to chaos and inconvenience for attendees and participants, affecting the summit's reputation. Despite this, over $100 billion in AI investment commitments were made, with expectations set even higher for future pledges. Analysts, however, caution the rapid AI expansion could stress India’s infrastructure.