<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>Exclusive: </span></strong><span>Bill Gates has addressed his presence in the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/jeffrey-epstein-survivors-say-file-release-fails-to-protect-identity-of-victims/99f203c0-f3ac-4718-a99b-7bc5217bfb63" rel="" target="_blank" title="three million recently-released pages"><span>three million recently-released pages</span></a><span> of the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/jeffrey-epstein" rel="" target="_blank" title="Jeffrey Epstein"><span>Jeffrey Epstein</span></a><span> files, saying he regrets ever coming into contact with the convicted sex offender.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The documents appear to show draft messages in Epstein's email account alleging that Gates had used him to organise trysts with women and contracted a sexually transmitted infection.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In an exclusive interview with 9News' Chief Political Editor Charles Croucher, Gates again denied the "false" accusations.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/global-survey-gallup-australians-worried-about-food-and-housing/c5a71f64-2d0e-453b-bdba-fcc418e3685a" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Global study reveals troubling truth about Australia</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent. The email is false," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I don't know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way?</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologise that I did that."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/bill-gates-denies-accusations-in-jeffrey-epstein-files/e8478e3b-4e12-442c-a373-04d8e2142aa7" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Melinda French Gates today told NPR </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/bill-gates-epstein-files-melinda-gates-responds-to-latest-mentions/3d89f996-5943-42d6-a0be-12e57c1e8cb0" rel="" target="_blank" title='the allegations reminded her of "very, very painful" times'><span>the allegations reminded her of "very, very painful" times</span></a><span> in her marriage, adding that her billionaire ex-husband was one of many who had questions to answer about Epstein.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Gates said he met Epstein in 2011 and had several dinners together over three years, but never visited his island nor had relations with women.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The focus was always, he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get them to give money to global health. In retrospect, that was a dead end," he said. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I was foolish to spend time with him. I was one of many people who regret ever knowing him.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The more that comes out, the more clear it will be that, although the time was a mistake, it has nothing to do with that kind of behaviour."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australian-man-dies-near-ski-resort-in-japan/8f9f556f-ce12-46d3-b5d4-9ec84e8825ae" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Australian man dies after disappearing while skiing in Japan</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Gates talks AI disruption in Australia, praises social media ban</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Gates became wealthy after co-founding Microsoft in 1975.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He has pledged to spend the entire endowment of the Gates Foundation, about $200 billion, to eradicate diseases and reduce poverty by the time the charity closes in 2045. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I hope when people read about Malaria in the future, I hope they'll say what was that? The same with polio," he told 9News in the wide-ranging interview.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Now, he sees </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/artificial-intelligence" rel="" target="_blank" title="artificial intelligence"><span>artificial intelligence</span></a><span> as revolutionising </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/health" rel="" target="_blank" title="healthcare "><span>healthcare</span></a><span> for some of the world's poorest countries, but warned it could result in job losses in countries like Australia. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I think it's up to people in the field to say to society at large, this could really be disruptive," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Speaking about </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/social-media" rel="" target="_blank" title="social media"><span>social media</span></a><span>, Gates praised Australia's world-first ban for children under 16 as a "good idea". </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I know it's not an easy thing to implement. I think it's a favour to the world that you'll study," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We overprotect kids in the real world; we don't let them go out and do things. But we underprotect them in the digital world."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>Watch the full interview at the top of the page</span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><strong><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></strong></div></div>