MC EXCLUSIVE ‘Was sort of confused': OpenAI’s Sam Altman on awkward exchange with Anthropic’s Dario Amodei at AI summit

• Sam Altman and Dario Amodei had an awkward photo moment
• The top AI leaders did not hold each other's hands in a group photo
• Altman and Amodei lead rival AI firms OpenAI and Anthropic

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At the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, the future of artificial intelligence was on stage. But, there was also a fleeting moment of human hesitation. As cameras flashed for a group photo, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic’s chief executive Dario Amodei appeared briefly unsure whether to shake hands, clasp arms, throw their arms up in the air or simply pose.

The two chiefs were posing for a group photo with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the fourth day of the summit. While PM Modi was in the centre of the frame, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Chief AI officer of Meta Alexandr Wang, Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar, Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, among others, were the other tech leaders that were part of the photo.

Asked about the momentary hesitation he shared with Amodei, Altman told Moneycontrol that he “was sort of confused, like when he (PM Modi) grabbed my hand and put it up, and I just wasn't sure what we were supposed to be doing.”

Altman and Amodei run two of the world’s most closely watched AI companies, OpenAI and Anthropic, respectively.

Amodei previously worked at OpenAI but eventually left to co-found Anthropic, which set up a direct rivalry between the two tech titans. While both leaders talk about building safe and powerful AI systems for people around the world, they often differ in tone and approach, especially around deployment speed and safeguards.

The result is a relationship that blends shared history with high-stakes competition.

In fact, when Sam Altman was abruptly ousted as chief executive from OpenAI in November 2023, media reports said the board of directors approached Anthropic's Amodei to replace CEO Altman and even considered a merger of the two AI startups.

While Amodei had declined the offer then, tensions, between the two CEOs, escalated when Anthropic released ads seemingly mocking the ChatGPT maker over plans to introduce advertising on its platform.

Anthropic ran a series of Super Bowl ads that took a dig at OpenAI’s move to introduce ads on ChatGPT. Altman had responded by calling the campaign "clearly dishonest" and "on brand for Anthropic doublespeak".

Earlier on February 19, OpenAI announced plans to expand its presence with new offices in Bengaluru and Mumbai, alongside its existing Delhi office. This comes shortly after Anthropic opened its first India office in Bengaluru earlier in the week.