PM Modi on Thursday beckoned global AI, Chiefs to join him in “chain” hand as part of a commitment to build more “inclusive and multilingual” AI around the world.
And they did. But what caught some of the audience’s attention, and later went viral on social media.
It was a Memetic moment.The incident involved OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei avoiding hand contact amidst a group
photo-op.
Modi, host of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, clasped hands with those closest to him
Altman to his left and Google CEO Sundar Pichai to his right and beckoned all 13 tech leaders to lift their hands up in a chain,
like theatre actors at the end of a show.
In a rapidly shifting global order, India has established a central role as a bridge between nations, a leader for the Global South, and a major, independent pole in world affairs. Amid intense technological, economic, and geopolitical competition, New Delhi is actively navigating a “multiplex world” by balancing strategic autonomy with growing partnerships in the West and East.
AI Regulation & Innovation: India has a “central role to play” in navigating the challenges of artificial intelligence, including potential misuse by governments and individuals, and its impact on economic displacement.
Leaders like Bill Gates have emphasized India’s pivotal role in technological aspirations and collaborative, inclusive growth.
India is positioning itself as a leader in responsible AI, with a burgeoning ecosystem of over 2,000 startups and a focus on ethical AI development.
India is too large to be a junior partner to any power, preferring to maintain strategic autonomy and operate as an independent pole, avoiding becoming a part of any specific, rigid bloc.
Amid global uncertainty, India is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and is on track to become the third-largest globally.
Manufacturing & Self-Reliance: Through its “Atmanirbhar” (self-reliance) and “Make in India” initiatives, the country is reducing dependence on foreign goods while strengthening its manufacturing sector.
India has central role to play amid challenges around AI’s potential misuse,
says Anthropic’s CEO
Everyone was holding hands except for Altman and Amodei, who stood next to each other but for several seconds awkwardly avoided hand contact. Both eventually put up their fists instead.
The interaction quickly became a visual symbol of the deep rivalries in the AI industry, particularly between OpenAI and Anthropic, though Altman sought to brush off any deeper meaning.
“I didn’t know what was happening,” Altman later said in a video interview. He said he was “confused, like when (Modi) grabbed his hand and put it up, and he just wasn’t sure what we were supposed to be doing.”
Anthropic declined to comment.
The two AI developers have a history, one that predates the creation of OpenAI’s hit product, ChatGPT, and Anthropic’s competing chatbot Claude.
Amodei worked at OpenAI before he and a group that included his sister, Daniela Amodei, quit to form Anthropic in 2021. The newer company promised a clearer focus on the safety of the better-than-human technology called artificial general intelligence that both San Francisco firms aim to build.
Anthropic opens Bengaluru office; CEO Amodei reveals run-rate revenue within India doubled in 4 months
News Edit KV Raman
