Rival AI Chiefs Share Awkward Spotlight Moment at India Summit

"I was sort of confused and didn't know what I was supposed to do," Sam Altman, the tech entrepreneur leading OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, said on Thursday, recounting an awkward onstage moment with rival AI firm Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei at the India AI Impact Summit.

Following the inaugural session of the summit, Altman and Amodei — who head two of the world’s most closely watched AI companies — joined other technology leaders on stage for a group photograph with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Meta’s Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar, and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis were also present for the photo opportunity.

The Prime Minister stood at the centre, with Pichai on his right and Altman on his left. Amodei, who previously worked at OpenAI before leaving to co-found Anthropic, was positioned beside Altman.

As cameras flashed, the Prime Minister and several others raised their hands. Altman and Amodei, however, appeared momentarily uncertain whether to shake hands, link arms, raise their hands, or simply pose. While the others held hands aloft, the two eventually raised their fists in the air.

"I didn't know what was happening," Altman said when asked about the moment. "I was sort of confused, like (Prime Minister) Modi grabbed my hand and put it up, and I just wasn't sure what we were supposed to be doing. I thought it was the open clock." Altman, 40, and Amodei, three years his senior, worked together at OpenAI until 2019.

Amodei, his sister Daniela, and several senior OpenAI researchers left the company in 2020 amid disagreements with Altman and the board over its direction. The Amodei siblings later founded Anthropic.

Since their split, Altman and Amodei have frequently differed in their approaches to AI development.

Amodei was reportedly approached by the OpenAI board after it abruptly removed Altman on November 17, 2023. He declined the offer, and Altman returned to lead the company within days following a dramatic internal standoff.

The rivalry between the two firms has since escalated into an overt commercial contest, with Anthropic airing satirical Super Bowl advertisements this year that mocked OpenAI’s reported plans to introduce advertising to ChatGPT.

(with PTI inputs)