AI cold war on stage: OpenAI, Anthropic CEOs' awkward moment at Delhi Summit
New Delhi: A brief but much-talked-about moment took place during the official photo session at the India AI Impact Summit in the national capital, when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei opted for raised fists rather than clasping hands. The two leaders, who head rival artificial intelligence firms, appeared momentarily hesitant before settling on a fist-bump, a gesture that quickly sparked humour and commentary online. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood at the centre of the group, joined by top global tech figures including Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang and Meta’s Chief AI Officer, among others. Reacting to the moment, Puch AI co-founder Siddharth Bhatia quipped on social media, “When AGI? The day Dario and Sam hold hands.”
Amodei previously served as Vice President of Research at OpenAI before leaving in early 2021 to establish Anthropic alongside several former OpenAI colleagues. The five-day summit, being held from February 16 to 20 at Bharat Mandapam, has brought together over 500 international AI leaders, along with academics, researchers, chief technology officers, senior executives and philanthropists. Addressing participants earlier, Amodei said the world is nearing a pivotal phase where AI systems could outperform humans in most cognitive functions, unlocking major breakthroughs in areas such as healthcare and poverty alleviation, while also posing risks related to misuse and economic upheaval. He compared the pace of AI advancement over the past decade to an exponential trend similar to a “Moore’s law for intelligence.” Praising India’s ecosystem, he said the drive and enthusiasm among Indian innovators was unlike anything he had seen elsewhere, adding that only a few years may remain before AI models outstrip human cognitive abilities across most fields. Echoing the optimism, Altman remarked that India is emerging as a global leader in AI adoption and is set to become one of the largest markets for the technology, asserting that the country is not merely part of the AI revolution but at the forefront of it.
