Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates withdrew from India’s AI Impact Summit just hours before his scheduled keynote address, dealing a significant blow to the high-profile global event and fuelling criticism over organisational failures.

The Gates Foundation said the decision was taken to ensure focus remained on the summit’s priorities, despite earlier assurances that he would attend. His cancellation followed a similar move by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, intensifying concerns about the event’s credibility and planning.

The summit, promoted as a major artificial intelligence forum for the Global South, was already facing backlash over traffic chaos, road closures, and logistical shortcomings that forced participants to walk long distances because of a lack of transport. Authorities later apologised for the inconvenience caused to attendees.

Controversy deepened after an Indian university was asked to remove its exhibit when it allegedly presented a commercially available Chinese robotic dog as its own creation, sparking public outrage.

Despite the setbacks, India secured over $100 billion in AI investment pledges from global technology firms and domestic conglomerates, with officials expecting the figure to exceed $200 billion in the coming years, highlighting continued investor interest in the country’s AI ambitions.