Key Points:
- Sam Altman and Dario Amodei refused to hold hands during a group photo.
- The incident occurred at the India AI Impact Summit with PM Modi.
- Tensions are high after Anthropic ran attack ads against OpenAI.
- Amodei is a former OpenAI researcher who left to start a rival firm.
A strange moment unfolded on Thursday involving the two biggest names in artificial intelligence. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei stood side-by-side during a photo op at the India AI Impact Summit but refused to hold hands. While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised joined hands with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Altman to applause, the two rivals standing next to each other simply raised their own fists.
The image immediately went viral on social media. Tech investors and startup founders poked fun at the obvious tension. One investor, Justine Moore, compared the scene to being forced to work on a group project with an enemy. The awkwardness highlights the fierce competition between the two companies as they fight to control the global AI market.
Tensions between the firms have risen sharply in recent weeks. Last month, Anthropic aired Super Bowl commercials mocking OpenAI for planning to put advertisements inside ChatGPT. Altman did not take the jab lightly, calling the ads “clearly dishonest” and accusing the rival company of doublespeak.
The relationship is complicated by history. Amodei is not just a competitor; he is a former employee. He helped lead research at OpenAI before leaving in 2021 due to disagreements over safety and company direction. He then founded Anthropic to build a “safety-first” alternative, which has since raised billions of dollars to compete directly with his old boss.
Despite the photo drama, both leaders gave serious keynote speeches. Amodei used his time to warn about the dangers of autonomous AI systems and potential economic job losses.
Altman took a different approach, arguing that AI safety requires “societal resilience” and stating that no single lab can build a good future alone. When asked about the controversial ads after the photo, Altman admitted his team is still figuring out the best way to implement them.
