AI Cold War: Altman and Amodei's Standoff at India AI Summit

At the India AI summit, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei, despite standing beside each other, refrained from partaking in a unity gesture led by Indian PM Narendra Modi. The incident, highlighting a fierce commercial rivalry, sparked widespread social media reactions.

The India AI summit, a significant meeting ground for technocrats, became a stage for the visible tensions between AI giants OpenAI and Anthropic. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited leaders to join hands in a symbolic act of unity, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Dario Amodei of Anthropic conspicuously avoided joining the gesture.

The incident, caught on camera and trending across social media, underscores the competitive tensions in Silicon Valley's AI sector. Altman, appearing visibly uncomfortable with the gestural invitation, later expressed uncertainty over the proceedings on stage, as noted in an interview with Moneycontrol.

OpenAI and Anthropic, unable to comment to Reuters, stand at opposite ends of a burgeoning AI rivalry marked by ideological differences and market ambitions. The summit, despite its organizational shortcomings and a notable absence of Bill Gates, managed to secure substantial investment promises exceeding $200 billion. However, it also highlighted the contentious dynamics within the AI industry.