summit

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has cancelled his keynote speech at India’s flagship AI summit just hours before he was due to take the stage on Thursday.

Gates, who has faced renewed scrutiny over his past ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, withdrew to “ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities”, the Gates Foundation said in a statement.

The five-day India AI Impact Summit 2026 was meant to showcase India’s ambitions in the booming sector, with the country expecting to attract more than $200bn in investment over the next two years.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had billed the summit as an opportunity for India to shape the future of AI, drawing high-profile attendees, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Instead, it has been dogged by controversy, from Gates’s abrupt exit to an incident in which an Indian university tried to pass off a Chinese-made robotic dog as its own innovation.

So, what exactly went wrong at India’s flagship AI gathering and why has it drawn such intense scrutiny?

Why Gates’s appearance became an issue

Bill Gates was due to deliver a short but high-profile speech highlighting the opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence.

However, in recent weeks, several opposition figures and commentators in Indian media weighed in after emails featuring his name were released in the Epstein files in late January, questioning whether his presence was appropriate.

Despite the discussion, all appeared to be proceeding as planned earlier in the week. On Tuesday, the Gates Foundation’s India office posted on X that Gates would attend the summit and “deliver his keynote as scheduled”.

Then, on Thursday, hours before the scheduled speech, it released a statement saying that “After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities, Mr Gates will not be delivering his keynote address.”

It added that Ankur Vora, president of the Gates Foundation’s Africa and India offices, would deliver the speech instead.

What are the alleged links between Epstein and Gates?

Bill Gates was named in documents related to Epstein released in January by the US Department of Justice.

In a draft email included among the documents, Epstein alleged Gates had engaged in extramarital affairs and sought his help in procuring drugs “to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls”.

It was unclear whether Epstein actually sent the email, and Gates denies any wrongdoing.

The Gates Foundation, in a statement to The New York Times, called the allegations “absolutely absurd and completely false”.

What has India’s government said?

Very little.

Despite criticism and calls from opposition figures to explain the invitation to Gates, the Indian government has not directly addressed the controversy that culminated in Gates’s withdrawal.

While unnamed government sources told local media he would not attend the summit, officials stopped short of explaining why.

Asked about Gates’s participation, Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw declined to give a clear answer to reporters, while Modi made no reference to the issue in his public remarks.

Why are the Epstein files a sensitive subject for India?

The controversy surrounding Gates’s planned participation comes close on the heels of a series of disclosures in the Epstein files that have forced the Modi government on the backfoot.

In one email to an unidentified individual he referred to only as “Jabor Y”, Epstein referred to Modi’s historic visit – the first by an Indian prime minister – to Israel in July 2017.

Epstein wrote: “The Indian Prime minister modi took advice. and danced and sang in israel for the benefit of the US president. they had met a few weeks ago.. IT WORKED. !”

Modi’s visit to Israel – and his subsequent embrace of the Benjamin Netanyahu government, with military, intelligence and other ties strengthened over the past decade – had already drawn criticism from the opposition Congress party and others, who have accused him of reversing decades of Indian support for the Palestinian cause. India was the first non-Arab nation to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1974, and did not establish full diplomatic relations with Israel until 1992.

But the Epstein email turbocharged the opposition criticism of Modi’s Israel policy – with questions now also asked about whether it was influenced by Washington.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the Epstein email in an unusually sharply worded statement.

“Beyond the fact of the prime minister’s official visit to Israel in July 2017, the rest of the allusions in the email are little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal, which deserve to be dismissed with the utmost contempt,” spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

But the Epstein cloud continues to hover over India.

The files also show that India’s current oil minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, exchanged dozens of emails with Epstein after he joined Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014.

In many of them, Puti appears to be taking Epstein’s help in getting US investors, such as LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, to visit India. In others, he appears to suggest that he had a fairly comfortable personal relationship with Epstein.

“Please let me know when you are back from your exotic island,” Puri wrote in December 2014, for instance, asking to set up a meeting in which Puri could give Epstein some books to “excite an interest in India”.

Puri, in a new conference, has claimed that he only met Epstein “three or four times”, but the Congress party has argued that the emails suggest a much closer relationship.

Gates’s work in India

The Gates Foundation has long been a key partner in India’s public health and development sectors, backing major vaccination drives, disease prevention campaigns and sanitation programmes.

At the same time, he has had vocal critics, including environmental activist Vandana Shiva, who has argued that Gates’s brand of “philanthro-imperialism” uses wealth to control global food systems.

Gates also faced heavy criticism after a 2024 podcast in which he said India was “a kind of laboratory to try things … that then, when you prove them out in India, you can take to other places” when discussing development programmes and the foundation’s work there.

‘Orion’ the robodog and other controversies

Beyond the fallout over Bill Gates’s cancelled keynote, the AI Impact Summit has faced several controversies.

One incident involved a robotic dog named “Orion”, which Galgotias University, based in the New Delhi suburban town of Greater Noida, presented as its own innovation.

Online users quickly identified the machine as a commercially available Chinese-made model, prompting organisers to ask the institution to vacate its stall.

The event also drew criticism on its opening day after facing logistical issues, including long queues and confusion over entry procedures, according to local media.

On Wednesday, large crowds were seen walking for miles after police cordoned off roads for VIP access.

Dhananjay Yadav, the CEO of a company exhibiting high-tech wearables, made headlines after he reported on social media that devices had been stolen from the company’s stand.

The Times of India later reported that two maintenance workers at the event had been arrested for allegedly stealing the wearables.

French President Macron and Brazilian leader Lula expected to attend summit aimed to outline global AI governance and collaboration.

India is hosting an artificial intelligence summit this week, bringing together heads of state and tech executives with hot-button issues on the agenda, including job disruption and child safety.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday afternoon inaugurate the five-day AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, which aims to declare a “shared roadmap for global AI governance and collaboration”.

“This occasion is further proof that our country is progressing rapidly in the field of science and technology,” and it “shows the capability of our country’s youth”, he said in an X post on Monday.

Touted as the biggest edition yet, the Indian government is expecting 250,000 visitors from across the sector, including 20 national leaders and 45 ministerial-level delegations.

It comes at a pivotal moment as AI rapidly transforms economies, reshapes labour markets and raises questions around regulations, security and ethics.

From generative AI tools that can produce text and images to advanced systems used in defence, healthcare and climate modelling, AI has become a central focus for governments and corporations across the world.

The summit, previously held in France, the United Kingdom and South Korea, has evolved far beyond its modest beginnings as a meeting tightly focused on the safety of cutting-edge AI systems into an all-purpose jamboree trade fair in which safety is just one aspect.

‘AI should be used for shaping humanity’

India – the world’s most populous nation and one of the fastest-growing digital markets – sees the summit as an opportunity to project itself as a bridge between advanced economies and the Global South.

Officials said the country’s experience in building large-scale digital public infrastructure, including digital identity and payment platforms, offers a model for deploying AI at scale while keeping costs low.

“The goal is clear: AI should be used for shaping humanity, inclusive growth and a sustainable future,” India’s Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are among the world leaders who are attending the summit.

Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Microsoft President Brad Smith and AMI Labs Executive Chairman Yann LeCun are also expected to attend.

New Delhi declaration

The summit has the loose themes of “people, progress, planet” – dubbed the “three sutras”.

Like previous editions, the India AI Impact Summit is not expected to result in a joint binding political agreement. It is more likely that the event could end with a nonbinding pledge or declaration on goals for AI development.

Last year’s edition, the Paris AI Action Summit, was dominated by United States Vice President JD Vance’s speech in which he rebuked European efforts to curb AI’s risks by warning global leaders and tech industry executives against “excessive regulation” that could hobble the rapidly growing AI industry.

AI summits have evolved since the first meeting in November 2023, barely a year after the launch of ChatGPT, which stoked excitement and fear about the capabilities of generative artificial intelligence.

That meeting at a former code-breaking base north of London was attended only by official delegations from 28 countries and the European Union, along with a small number of AI executives and researchers, and was focused on keeping AI safe and reining in its potentially catastrophic risks.

Seth Hays, author of the Asia AI Policy Monitor newsletter, said talk at the summit would likely centre around “ensuring that governments put up some guardrails, but don’t throttle AI development”.

“There may be some announcements for more state investment in AI, but it may not move the needle much, as India needs partnerships to integrate on the international scene for AI,” Hays told the AFP news agency.

Heads of state are arriving in Addis Ababa for the 2026 African Union Summit, with a water-focused theme centred on climate change. Conflicts in Sudan, South Sudan, DR Congo and the Sahel loom, while Israel’s recognition of Somaliland adds pressure over borders.

The contestant spoke out in a video after tensions brewed amongst the contestants.

ITV’s The Summit contestant Tom Gray has spoken out following his elimination as the first participant to exit the reality show.

The London-based tour guide was competing in the high-octane challenge, presented by This Morning’s Ben Shephard. The programme tracks 14 challengers as they attempt to conquer a mountain summit in New Zealand’s South Island Alps, with £200,000 up for grabs.

The line-up includes ex-Gladiator Ace and Gillian McKeith’s daughter, and within a single episode, friction has already emerged, particularly when a savage twist was unveiled.

Whilst not everyone will reach the finale, the participants weren’t prepared to be told they must vote off one player whilst suspended on ropes above a steep drop.

Tom was the initial contestant to depart the competition, and was left dangling from the mountainside as his fellow players continued their journey without him, reports Wales Online.

He’s now spoken about his departure, which was championed by military man Dockers and sparked heated debates amongst the group.

In footage posted online, Tom remarked: “I think I was targeted because there was an insecure little child on the other side of the bridge and he didn’t like the fact that people seemed to respect the judgement calls that I was making. I wasn’t trying to be loud, I was just trying to me quietly confident.

“Given the chance, I wouldn’t do a single goddamn thing differently. I enjoyed the fact that I was at the front and I really enjoyed helping other people and I felt that I actually gave something to the team.”

He continued: “The one bit of advice I would give to myself if I was going to do this again, don’t treat everybody as if they have the same characteristics and personality as you do. Don’t trust them. You’re going to get stabbed in the back.”

He proceeded to brand Dockers a “petulant little child”, declaring: “He’s not going to serve anybody in the group. He’s just going to cause divides, rifts, and I want people to be happy whilst they make their way up to The Summit.”

Fans rallied behind Tom with messages of support, with one posting: “Well said Tom! And so sorry to see you 1st out! Brilliant attitude though!” Another commented: “You was so likeable,” whilst a third added: “so gutted you were first to go.”

During his brief stint on the programme, Tom disclosed a moment from his history that prompted viewers to hail him a hero, revealing he was amongst the members of the public who stepped in during the 2019 London Bridge terror attack.

He had been nearby when a man fatally stabbed two people, and was one of the multiple bystanders that attempted to stop the attacker. Tom had stamped on the terrorist’s wrist in an effort to force him to drop one of his knives.

Speaking on The Summit, he recalled: “I was driving over the London Bridge. Seemed like a standard day at work for me. I realised that I’d stumbled onto a terrorist attack. Three chaps had chased the terrorist out of the Fishmongers’ Hall and pinned him to the ground.

“And so I tried to be as useful as I possibly could. Kicked one of the knives out of the terrorist’s hands. Armed police turned up. And we then were told that he had a bomb vest on. Turns out it was a hoax.”

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“That was something that really made me think life can change in an instant,” he went on to reflect.

“Don’t always try and plan for the future because the future might not actually come for you. So when this opportunity landed in front of me, I’ve got to take it with my hands.”

The Summit continues on Tuesday at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

This Morning presenter Ben Shephard will host ITV’s new reality show The Summit

ITV’s new reality show The Summit is sent to air in just a few hours as a number of contestants including a I’m A Celebrity star’s daughter take on major challenges.

The Summit, hosted by This Morning presenter Ben Shephard, will see a group of people attempt to reach the peak of one of New Zealand’s biggest mountains.

Ben will join 13 non-celebrity contestants, and they will head out on an epic 100-kilometre journey across a wild, mountainous landscape.

Their goal is to climb 8,500ft to the Summit of a distant mountain to win a share of a cash prize of up to £200,000, with the format already a hit in Australia.

The programme was originally thought to be debuting on UK screens in 2025, but according to TVZone, the launch date was pushed back to 2026 due to scheduling.

The Summit kicks off tonight (February 10) on ITV1 at 9pm. The following episode will air at the same time the following night on Wednesday (February 11.)

Episode three will air on Wednesday, February 18, marking the move away from two episodes a week.

However, from here The Summit will air on consecutive Tuesdays leading up to the series finale on Tuesday, March 17.

The Summit’s full line-up

I’m A Celebrity’s Gillian McKeith’s daughter Afton is among the many contestants who has signed up for a new ITV reality show.

The pageant and fitness coach, 24, who competed to be named Miss England last year, will take part in the reality show.

Speaking about why she wanted to take on the big challenge, Afton revealed: “I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone, ground myself and take on a new adventure in order to grow as an individual.”

The star said her biggest strengths is her leadership skills and my ability to strategise however her weakness is “lack of hygiene” as she admitted it was a major “concern”.

• Charlett – 38-year-old Pole Fitness Instructor from Wiltshire
• Jenny – 46-year-old Sales and Marketing Manager from Peterborough
• Dockers – 36-year-old Senior Construction Manager from Hull
• Tara: 31-year-old Social Media Influencer from Manchester
• Tyra: 24-year-old England Football Scout from London
• Warren – 52-year-old Ordained Minister and former Gladiator from London
• Patrick – 24-year-old Content Creator from Milton Keynes
• Miranda – 50-year-old Publican from Northampton
• Colleen – 48-year-old Ex-Steel Worker from Port Talbot
• Drew – 32-year-old Project Manager from North London
• Thomas – 29-year-old Tour Guide from Winchester
• Sean – 25-year-old Customer Service Advisor from Liverpool
• Joel – 35-year-old Mentor/Coach from Loughborough

The Summit airs tonight at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX

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The United States has hosted its first critical minerals summit aimed at challenging China’s dominance of the global supply chain for rare earth elements. But political economist Stefan Zylinski warns that Global South countries are likely to bear the greatest cost from any plan conceived by the Global North.