AI Impact Summit 2026: Bill Gates’ keynote speech cancelled, now Ankur Vora will address on behalf of Gates Foundation

Ankur Vora To Address Summit: ‘AI Impact Summit 2026’ organized in New Delhi, the capital of India. A shocking news has come out. Microsoft co-founder and veteran philanthropist Bill Gates has canceled his scheduled keynote speech. The Gates Foundation issued an official statement confirming the change and providing information about the new direction of the summit.

sudden big change

Bill Gates’ name was included quite prominently in the list of official speakers of the AI ​​Summit. He was to give his 12-minute keynote speech on February 19 at 11:50 am, which has now been cancelled. The India chapter of the Gates Foundation clarified that this decision has been taken keeping in mind the priorities of the summit.

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— Gates Foundation India (@BMGFIndia) February 19, 2026

Ankur Vora will take command

In the absence of Bill Gates, Ankur Vora will now take the stage on behalf of the Gates Foundation and address the session. Ankur Vora currently holds important responsibilities as the President of the Foundation’s Africa and India offices. He will speak on issues related to AI and global development and the Foundation’s participation in the summit will continue.

Shadow of controversies and speculations

There was a lot of doubt about Gates’s involvement after his name appeared in the files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Although his spokesperson had termed these old claims as absurd, there was some hesitation in government circles. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav also refrained from commenting much on this issue, calling it a personal choice.

Start of India trip

Bill Gates reached India on Monday and started his tour from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. There he met Chief Minister N. Discussed and praised health and technology with Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. In Vijayawada, he also praised the progress of various technology initiatives launched by the state government.

Also read: India AI Impact Summit 2026: PM Modi will inaugurate today, many world leaders including Macron-Lula gathered

grandeur of the summit

This huge AI summit is being organized from 16 to 20 February at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Representatives and 50 ministers of more than 100 countries, including the Presidents of France and Brazil, are participating in it. More than 300 companies are showcasing their innovations at the AI ​​Impact Expo spread over approximately 70,000 square meters.

Technology and Innovation Forum

During the summit, issues and new partnerships related to Artificial Intelligence are being discussed in detail at the global level. After the inauguration by the Prime Minister, this exhibition has also been opened to the general public from 17th February. The audience can see how AI solves real-life problems through a live demo here.