Bill Gates pulls out of India AI summit as anger mounts over mismanagement
#IndianAISummit_Liars
New Delhi: India’s much-publicised AI Impact Summit suffered another blow on Thursday after Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates abruptly cancelled his keynote address just hours before he was scheduled to speak, compounding the embarrassment surrounding the flagship event already marred by organizational lapses, a robot row and complaints of traffic chaos.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Gates’ absence, followed by another high-profile cancellation by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, adds to a difficult opening for the summit, which was projected as a landmark moment for India’s artificial intelligence ambitions.
The Gates 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 summit had already been overshadowed by an awkward optics moment during a stage appearance by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside leading AI executives. In a choreographed show of strength and unity, executives were seen raising their arms together, but OpenAI chief Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, heads of rival firms, who stood side by side on stage refrained from holding hands while others did, drawing widespread attention on social media.
India’s first major AI gathering has faced mounting criticism over organisational lapses that left attendees shocked and angry over what they described as a lack of planning by the Indian government.
In a surprise move on Thursday, the summit exhibition halls were shut to the public that led to more anger among participating companies that had put up stalls and pavilions. The venue compound was largely deserted after three days of large crowds at the event.
Further controversy erupted when Indian university Galgotias was asked to vacate its stall after a staff member presented a commercially available robotic dog made in China as its own creation, sparking a public uproar.
Traffic mismanagement added to the turmoil. Police repeatedly sealed roads to facilitate VIP movement, paralysing central Delhi and leaving hundreds of attendees stranded. Social media footage showed participants walking long distances after taxi services were halted and no shuttle arrangements were provided.
The Indian government later apologised for the inconvenience caused during the initial days of the summit.
Indian opposition parties seized on the developments, attacking the government and the prime minister for poorly managing the global summit.
“How can you expect your engineers, AI guys, to walk such distances…And then we complain that entrepreneurs are leaving India,” said Pawan Khera, the Congress party spokesperson.
What was meant to showcase India’s technological leadership has instead exposed organisational shortcomings, raising questions about the government’s preparedness to host global innovation platforms.
