Bill Gates cancelled his planned speech Thursday at a major global summit on artificial intelligence, the Gates Foundation said, after the Microsoft founder's name appeared in the Epstein case.

"After careful consideration, and in order to ensure that attention remains focused on the key priorities of the AI summit, Mr. Gates will not deliver his keynote address," the foundation said in a statement.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several tech leaders will speak on Thursday about the opportunities and threats of artificial intelligence at a global AI summit in New Delhi.

The Gates Foundation clarified that the president of its offices in Africa and India would speak in place of Bill Gates.

A draft email from Jeffrey Epstein released on January 30 by the US Department of Justice, among the mass of documents from the Epstein case, mentions extramarital affairs with Bill Gates.

In this message, which does not appear to have been sent, Jeffrey Epstein boasted in particular of having helped "Bill" obtain medication to "remedy the consequences of sexual relations with Russian girls".

The Microsoft founder stated that he "regretted every minute" spent with the sex offender, but insisted he had nothing to reproach himself for, denouncing "absolutely absurd accusations coming from a notorious liar."

The mere mention of a person's name in the Epstein file does not imply any wrongdoing on the part of that person. However, these documents at the very least demonstrate links between the convicted sex offender or his associates and certain individuals who have often minimized, or even denied, the existence of such relationships.