On February 19, 2026, the world’s leading artificial intelligence minds converged in New Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit—a day that was supposed to be all about progress, partnership, and global ambition. But it was a fleeting, awkward moment on stage that stole the show and dominated the conversation, both in the conference halls and across social media platforms worldwide.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi orchestrated a now-iconic group photo with 13 business and political leaders, including the likes of Sundar Pichai, Demis Hassabis, Brad Smith, Sam Altman, and Dario Amodei, the atmosphere was charged with anticipation. This wasn’t just any ordinary photo op; Modi, in his signature style, clasped hands with Pichai on his right and Altman on his left, raising their arms in a gesture of unity and celebration. The rest of the tech leaders quickly caught on, linking hands with their neighbors and looking expectantly to their left and right. It was a tableau meant to symbolize the collaborative spirit of the AI era.
Yet, as the cameras flashed, a noticeable gap appeared between two figures: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic. Instead of joining hands like the rest, the two rivals simply raised their arms—fists in the air, but no contact. The hesitation lasted only a moment, but it was enough. Screenshots of the scene flooded social media, with one viral post exclaiming, "LOL at Sam and Dario not holding hands." The image quickly became a meme, a symbol of the underlying rivalry that has defined the relationship between these two AI heavyweights.
This wasn’t just a random awkward encounter. The tension between Altman and Amodei has been simmering for years, and recent events have only added fuel to the fire. Earlier in February, Anthropic took a public jab at OpenAI during the Super Bowl, airing a 30-second commercial that poked fun at OpenAI’s decision to introduce ads to ChatGPT. Altman, never one to shy away from defending his company, fired back on X (formerly Twitter), labeling the Anthropic ad as "dishonest." The exchange underscored the competitive—and at times, personal—nature of the rivalry.
For those unfamiliar with the backstory, Dario Amodei was once a key figure at OpenAI, serving as Vice-President of Research. In early 2021, he left the organization, citing deep disagreements over AI safety priorities and the lab’s overall direction. He didn’t leave quietly; instead, he co-founded Anthropic with his sister, Daniela Amodei, and about 15 other former OpenAI employees. Their vision? To build AI with a stronger emphasis on safety and careful behavior, especially as the technology becomes increasingly powerful and pervasive. According to The New York Times, this group had overseen the creation of OpenAI’s large language models, the very technology that powers ChatGPT.
Amodei’s philosophy is clear. In a 2023 interview with Fortune, he stated, "You needed something in addition to just scaling the models up, which is alignment or safety. You don't tell the models what their values are just by pouring more compute into them." This focus on safety distinguishes Anthropic’s approach from OpenAI’s, which is known for moving quickly and making AI tools widely available to the public. Anthropic’s flagship Claude chatbot, for example, is designed with careful guardrails, while OpenAI’s ChatGPT has become a household name for its rapid deployment and broad accessibility.
But the rivalry isn’t just philosophical. It’s also playing out in business and geopolitics. Anthropic is rapidly expanding its global footprint, and India is at the heart of its ambitions. Just days before the summit, Anthropic opened a new office in Bengaluru—its second in Asia, following Tokyo—and appointed Irina Ghose as Managing Director for Anthropic India. According to Amodei, the energy and ambition in India’s AI sector are "incredible," and the company’s business run rate in the country has doubled over the past four months. India is now the second-largest global market for Anthropic’s Claude.ai platform, a testament to the country’s appetite for cutting-edge technology.
Anthropic isn’t going it alone. The company has struck major partnerships with Indian enterprises, including Infosys and Karya, aiming to deploy its AI models in sectors like education and agriculture. On February 17, Infosys shares jumped by as much as 4% after announcing a strategic collaboration with Anthropic to develop enterprise AI solutions across telecommunications, financial services, manufacturing, and software. The partnership will initially focus on the telecom sector, with plans to integrate Anthropic’s Claude models—including Claude Code—into Infosys’s Topaz AI offerings. According to Amodei, "The energy and ambition in this room and across India are incredible. I've been spending the last few days meeting with Indian builders and enterprises, and the energy to build together here is palpable, unlike anywhere else."
At the summit, Amodei didn’t shy away from addressing both the promise and peril of artificial intelligence. He spoke passionately about AI’s potential to "cure diseases that have been incurable for thousands of years, to radically improve human health, and to lift billions out of poverty, including the global south, and create a better world for everyone." But he also sounded a note of caution, warning of the risks posed by autonomous AI behavior, misuse by governments and individuals, and the potential for economic displacement. "India has an absolutely central role to play in these questions and challenges, both on the side of the opportunities and on the side of the risks," he emphasized.
This balancing act—between ambition and caution, opportunity and risk—is central to the global conversation about AI. The India AI Impact Summit itself was designed to advance these discussions, bringing together policymakers, industry experts, academics, and civil society leaders from around the world. The summit’s theme, aligning with India’s national vision of "Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya" (welfare for all, happiness for all), reflected a commitment to using AI for the common good.
Yet, even as Anthropic deepens its ties with India, it faces challenges on other fronts. As reported by The New York Times on February 18, the U.S. Defense Department has approved Anthropic’s AI technology for use with classified tasks, but the company is pushing back against its use in autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance. This dispute, involving a contract worth up to $200 million, could have significant implications for Anthropic’s business and its stance on ethical AI deployment.
Back in New Delhi, as the summit concluded and the viral photo continued to circulate, the awkwardness between Altman and Amodei served as a reminder that the future of AI will be shaped not just by technical breakthroughs, but by the personalities, philosophies, and—yes—rivalries of those leading the charge. For India, the summit was a showcase of its growing influence in the global AI landscape. For the world, it was a glimpse into the complex, sometimes messy, but always fascinating human side of technological progress.
In the end, the hand-holding that didn’t happen may say as much about the state of AI—and the world’s hopes and anxieties for its future—as any keynote speech or official partnership announcement could.