AI Cold War on Stage: Altman and Amodei’s Raised Fists Steal Spotlight at India AI Summit

New Delhi: The India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam was meant to showcase unity between government and industry. Instead, one photograph captured a very different story. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood center stage with global tech leaders, Google’s Sundar Pichai joined hands with the PM in a symbolic gesture. But on the right, Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Dario Amodei (Anthropic) raised separate clenched fists rather than locking hands -a moment that quickly became shorthand for the rivalry between the two AI titans.

Why They Came to India

India has become a critical arena for global AI companies. With the world’s largest pool of developers and a government eager to embed AI into sectors ranging from agriculture to healthcare, no major player can afford to ignore the market.

- Sam Altman used his keynote to underline OpenAI’s commitment to “democratizing AI access.” He highlighted India’s role as a testing ground for scaling AI responsibly, pointing to OpenAI’s plans to expand offices and deepen collaborations with universities. Altman stressed that India’s combination of talent and government support makes it central to the company’s global strategy.

- Dario Amodei, meanwhile, positioned Anthropic as the “safety-first” alternative. He spoke about the importance of building AI systems that are transparent and aligned with human values, and announced that Anthropic is strengthening its local leadership team in India. Amodei’s pitch was clear: while OpenAI focuses on reach, Anthropic wants to win trust by emphasising responsibility.

The Rivalry Behind the Gesture

The awkward photo moment reflects a deeper split. Amodei was once a senior leader at OpenAI, but left in 2021 with colleagues who felt the company was moving too quickly under Altman’s leadership. They founded Anthropic, and since then, the two firms have been locked in a feature-for-feature contest -ChatGPT versus Claude. The rivalry has spilled into public view, most recently when Anthropic aired a Super Bowl ad mocking OpenAI’s decision to introduce ads in ChatGPT, prompting Altman to call the campaign “deceptive.”

India as the New Battleground

For India, the summit was about showcasing its ambition to be a global AI hub. PM Modi emphasized that AI must serve as a “multiplier, not a monopoly,” urging companies to align innovation with welfare. Against that backdrop, the raised fists of Altman and Amodei symbolized more than personal history -they highlighted the AI Cold War now playing out in India.

The photo may have been awkward, but it captured the reality: India is no longer just a market for AI, it is the stage where the world’s biggest AI rivalry is being fought.

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