The India AI Impact Expo 2026 was a powerful convergence of ideas, innovation and intent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said even as the main buzz on Tuesday morning about the summit being held in Delhi was over whether Bill Gates would attend the summit.
After a number of news channels – including NDTV and CNN News 18 – quoting government sources said the Microsoft co-founder would not be attending the summit because of his name being in the Epstein files, a Gates Foundation spokesperson told Hindustan Times that Gates “will be delivering his keynote as scheduled” at the summit.
The Microsoft co-founder is in India on his first visit to the country since the revelations about him in the files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hit international headlines.
The government “reviewed” the invitation to the billionaire personal-computing pioneer in light of the Epstein files revelations, NDTV reported on Tuesday morning quoting unnamed sources.
CNN-News18 also said that Gates would not be attending the AI Impact Summit.
The name of Gates – who on Monday praised Prime Minister Modi and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for India’s “digital revolution” – had featured prominently in the promo material for the AI Summit.
Prime Minister Modi on Monday inaugurated the Expo at the summit, featuring more than 600 high-potential startups and 13 country pavilions showcasing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem.
"India AI Impact Expo 2026 was a powerful convergence of ideas, innovation and intent. It showcased the extraordinary potential of Indian talent in shaping the future of Artificial Intelligence for global good," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
He said that above all, the Expo reaffirmed India's commitment to harnessing AI responsibly, inclusively and at scale for human progress.
Spread across 10 arenas covering more than 70,000 square metres at Bharat Mandapam, the Expo brings together global technology firms, startups, academia and research institutions, Union ministries, state governments and international partners.
It features 13 country pavilions, showcasing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem. These include pavilions from Australia, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan and Africa.
The inaugural day of the AI Impact Summit was marred by several inconveniences that attendees said they faced.
