OpenAI CEO Sam Altman And Anthropic’s Dario Amodei Share Awkward Fist-Bump, Avoid Handshake At Delhi AI Summit

A brief but widely shared moment at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi grabbed global attention on Thursday, when two of the world's most influential artificial intelligence leaders appeared unsure how to pose together during a ceremonial photograph.

OpenAI chief Sam Altman and Anthropic chief Dario Amodei ultimately opted for raised fists instead of clasping hands, sparking laughter online and fuelling conversation about rivalry in the AI industry.

An awkward pose goes viral

During the official group photograph, the two executives hesitated momentarily before exchanging a fist-bump gesture. The scene, caught on camera, quickly circulated across social media platforms, where users interpreted it as symbolic of the intense competition between their companies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood at the centre of the lineup. Also present were Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang, Meta's Chief AI Officer and other global technology leaders attending the gathering.

The reactions online were immediate and playful. "When AGI? The day Dario and Sam hold hands," wrote Siddharth Bhatia, co-founder of Puch AI.

Rivalry rooted in shared history

The interaction also drew attention because of the two leaders' professional past. Amodei previously served as vice president of research at OpenAI before departing in early 2021. He later co-founded Anthropic alongside several other former senior OpenAI researchers, establishing a direct competitor in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector.

Since then, both companies have emerged as central players in the global AI race, competing in areas such as large language models, enterprise adoption and safety-focused research.

High-profile gathering in New Delhi

The moment took place during the five-day AI Impact Summit hosted at Bharat Mandapam from February 16 to 20. The event has attracted more than 500 global AI leaders, around 150 academics and researchers, and about 400 chief technology officers, vice-presidents and philanthropists.

The summit is aimed at shaping international cooperation, discussing responsible development of artificial intelligence and highlighting India's growing role in the technology ecosystem. While policy discussions and announcements dominate the agenda, the brief interaction between Altman and Amodei ended up becoming one of the most talked-about scenes from the event.