Bill Gates will deliver keynote address as scheduled at AI India Summit, says Gates Foundation
New Delhi, February 17
Bill Gates will attend the AI India Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the Gates Foundation confirmed on Tuesday.
"Bill Gates is attending the AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled," the Gates Foundation posted on its social media platform X.
The Gates Foundation is among the list of key technology figures such as OpenAI chief Sam Altman and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who are participating in the first international AI summit that is taking place in the Global South, which began in New Delhi on February 16 and will continue till February 20.
"India is a global leader in artificial intelligence, powered by one of the world's largest AI talent pools, rapid adoption across sectors, and innovation at population scale. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, AI has become central to India's vision of Viksit Bharat, driving inclusive growth and responsible innovation. India's distinctive public-private model, bringing together government, startups, academia, and industry, is proving that AI can be built for impact, for inclusion, and for the world, " the Foundation said.
Meanwhile,when asked about Gates participation at the Ai summit during a press conference in the national capital, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today said "I don't want to comment on who is attending and who is not. That is a personal decsion of people. I don't want to comment on that."
Gates is scheduled to address the summit at a plenary session on February 19.
Thursday's lineup at the Summit features the biggest names in the AI world, including Open AI CEO Sam Altman, Chief AI Scientist, Meta, Yann LeCun; President, Microsoft Brad Smith; CEO, Google DeepMind, Demis Hassabis and CEO, Accenture's Julie Sweet
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great to see the summit happening, but I hope the discussions move beyond just hype. We need concrete plans for using AI in agriculture, healthcare, and education for the common man, not just for urban elites. The "Viksit Bharat" vision needs ground-level implementation.
As someone working in tech here, this is a massive morale booster. It validates the work thousands of Indian engineers and researchers are doing. Hope it leads to more investment in our homegrown AI startups.
The Minister's comment is a bit odd, no? "I don't want to comment on who is attending..." When it's Bill Gates and it's already confirmed by his foundation? Seems like they should be celebrating this openly. Anyway, glad he's coming. His work in global health through tech is inspiring.
Bill Gates + Sundar Pichai in Delhi! What a lineup. This summit is putting India firmly on the global AI map. Hope our students and young innovators get access to these sessions, not just the VIPs. The future is here, and it's being shaped in Bharat Mandapam! ✨
While the star power is impressive, let's not forget the "Impact" in the summit's name. True success will be measured by how AI solutions developed here improve lives in our villages and small towns. Inclusive growth has to be the real keynote.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.