If you were hoping to see Bill Gates explain the future of robots in Delhi this week, I have some bad news. The Microsoft co-founder has pulled out of his keynote speech at the India AI Impact Summit faster than a Windows update at an inconvenient time.
His philanthropic foundation claimed the decision came after “careful consideration” to keep the focus on the summit’s priorities. Translation: they didn’t want the headlines to be about a certain set of legal files involving the late Jeffrey Epstein. New documents from the US Department of Justice dropped in January, and while Gates says the claims are “absolutely absurd,” his PR team clearly decided that a quiet exit was better than a loud confrontation.
A Tough Week for Tech Fans
The summit was meant to be India’s big “we’ve arrived” moment in the AI world, but the guest list is looking a bit thin.
- The No-Shows: First, Nvidia boss Jensen Huang cancelled on Saturday. Now Gates has followed suit, though he is actually already in India. He was spotted in Andhra Pradesh earlier this week talking about farming and health, but apparently, the Delhi stage was a bridge too far.
- The Stand-In: Ankur Vora, a Foundation bigwig, will take the mic instead. It’s a bit like expecting a rock star and getting their accountant, but the Foundation insists they are still “fully committed” to India.
Robots and Regrets
The summit hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. On day one, an Indian university proudly showed off a “homegrown” robot dog, only for everyone to realise it was actually made in China. It is the tech equivalent of buying a designer handbag and finding a “Made in a Different Factory” label inside.
However, the heavy hitters who did show up had plenty to say:
- Sam Altman (OpenAI): Warned that we need to regulate AI “urgently” before it ruins us all.
- Narendra Modi: Argued that humans shouldn’t just be “data points” and that AI needs to help the Global South, not just a few rich countries.
- Sundar Pichai (Google): Promised a new AI hub in Vishakhapatnam, which should hopefully bring more jobs and fewer “Made in China” robot dogs.
The Billionaire Brawl
UN chief Antonio Guterres didn’t hold back either, suggesting the future of AI shouldn’t be left to the “whims of a few billionaires.” With Mukesh Ambani pledging a cool $110 billion to the cause, there are certainly enough billionaires involved to make things interesting.
Gates might be keeping a low profile for now, but the AI race is sprinting ahead without him. India wants to be the global hub for the next tech revolution; they just might need to make sure the guests actually turn up for the grand opening.
Related topics: Asia
