AI Rivalry On Stage: OpenAI’s Altman, Anthropic’s Amodei Share Awkward Moment In Delhi Summit

Last Updated:February 19, 2026, 14:13 IST

At the Global AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Sam Altman and Dario Amodei raised fists instead of joining hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

OpenAI and Anthropic rivalry draws attention at AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

A brief on-stage moment at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi has drawn attention after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei raised clenched fists instead of holding hands during a group photograph with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other technology leaders.

The summit brought together top global AI executives, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Meta’s AI leadership, alongside policymakers to discuss India’s growing role in artificial intelligence.

At the end of a session, leaders assembled on stage for a customary photo-op. As Prime Minister Modi and several executives joined hands and raised them together — a gesture typically seen as symbolic of unity — Altman and Amodei lifted their fists separately.

A Rivalry Shaping The AI Industry

The playful exchange underscored the growing rivalry between OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, and Anthropic, headed by Dario Amodei.

Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI executives, including Amodei, who previously served as OpenAI’s Vice President of Research. The split reflected differing philosophies around AI safety, governance, and commercial strategy. Anthropic positions itself as a safety-focused AI lab, emphasizing alignment and responsible development through its Claude model family.

OpenAI, meanwhile, has pursued rapid product deployment alongside safety research, bringing ChatGPT and enterprise AI tools to market at scale. The companies now compete directly in foundation models, enterprise partnerships, and government engagement, with both seeking leadership in the race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI).

What Is The Global AI Impact Summit?

The Global AI Impact Summit in New Delhi is a high-level convening of policymakers, technology executives, researchers, and startup founders aimed at shaping the future of artificial intelligence.

The summit focuses on AI innovation, regulation, safety frameworks, public-private collaboration, and India’s ambitions to become a global AI hub. With India rapidly expanding its digital infrastructure and AI ecosystem, the event signals the country’s intent to play a central role in global AI governance discussions.

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