Microsoft founder Bill Gates was a confirmed attendee at the ongoing AI Impact Summit 2026, but his name is no longer showing up in the list of key attendees. When India announced its guest list for the AI Impact Summit 2026, Gates'
name was a headliner. His name appeared in official releases, media reports, and the summit's own promotional materials alongside Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, Dario Amodei and Demis Hassabis.
Gates even landed in Andhra Pradesh yesterday, met state ministers, and was headed to the summit - but his name has since been quietly removed from the summit website's 'Global Visionaries' section, with no official explanation.
Lokesh, posting on X, welcomed Gates effusively, "It was a pleasure to receive the Chair of the Gates Foundation at Gannavaram Airport today, along with my colleagues Home Minister Smt. Anitha Garu, Agriculture Minister Sri Atchannaidu Garu and Health Minister Sri Satya Kumar Garu. We have now proceeded to the Secretariat for discussions on strengthening partnerships in health, agriculture, education, and technology-driven governance."
Gates also held detailed discussions with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, reviewing the use of advanced technologies in governance, and visited a farm near Undavalli village to observe drone and AI-assisted farming practices.
In other words, Gates was not a remote RSVP. He was physically in the country, conducting substantive state-level engagements aligned with the summit's very themes , and then suddenly and quitely, his name was removed from the summit attendees list.
Not the first tech leader to cancel last minute
Gates' disappearance from the website follows a precedent set just days ago. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who was earlier expected to be one of the summit's most prominent speakers, withdrew citing 'unforeseen circumstances.'
The contrast is striking given the stature involved. Where Huang's exit drew headlines and even a playful campaign from the India AI Film Festival to coax him back, Gates' removal from the website has so far slipped by without official acknowledgement.
What the Summit stands to lose
Gates' presence at the summit carried unique symbolic weight - distinct from the tech CEOs whose attendance was driven largely by India's $100 billion investment opportunity. As Co-Chair of the Gates Foundation, he brought a development-focused perspective uniquely aligned with the summit's vision, having invested heavily in AI tools designed to diagnose diseases faster and help doctors interpret medical scans. His work in agriculture, public health and education - precisely the sectors he discussed with Andhra Pradesh ministers - mirrors the summit's core themes of People, Planet and Progress.
Gates was also scheduled to meet PM Modi during the summit - a bilateral with implications beyond the conference floor, given the Gates Foundation's deep partnerships with the Indian government across health and development sectors.
It is not known whether he has formally withdrawn, whether scheduling constraints intervened after his Andhra Pradesh visit, or whether his participation has simply been reclassified into a private format away from the public programme. The summit runs through February 20.
