Futurism/Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
There’s no love lost between Sam Altman and Dario Amodei.
At the India AI Summit in New Delhi on Thursday, the respective CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic shared the stage with about a dozen other industry and political leaders, including the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As they stood in a line in front of the crowd, Modi made them shake hands and raise them above their heads in a show of unity.
Except for Altman and Amodei, whose companies are arch rivals, it did not follow suit. Instead of holding hands, there’s only a moment of awkward eye contact as they largely avoid looking at each other, Amodei looks around at him in a sort of “Who, me?” Ishara – which, had it been on a different kind of stage, would have been praised as a great comedy act. In the end, both Altman and Amodei decided to raise closed fists with the hands they should have closed.
It was as a Redditor It has been toldA “cringe masterpiece.” Amodei didn’t look particularly thrilled. Altman, while waiting for Amodei’s final decision, held his free hand in front of his chest, looking confused.
It added to what was already an absurd spectacle. Industry leaders promising utopia on the horizon were all smiles as they showed support for a prime minister who has been widely criticized as authoritarian, all holding hands as if they were going to play rings around Rosie.
The rivalry between OpenAI and Anthropic runs deep. Anthropic was formed from a splinter group of former OpenAI employees, including Amodei, who left the company due to differences over its direction and focus on security.
But recently it has reached new heights. This month, Anthropic pressured OpenAI with a new series of Super Bowl ads, which were a veiled dig at OpenAI’s decision to start placing ads in ChatGPAT.
And it clearly struck a nerve. Altman inappropriately responded with a lengthy comment on X, accusing Anthropic advertisements of being “misleading” and suggesting that Anthropic was an “authoritarian company”. Admitting that he thought the ads were “funny” seemed to reassure us that he could take a joke, and was not experiencing the minor disappointment he was clearly experiencing.
Both the companies are also ready to face each other on shaping the regulation of the industry. Last week, Anthropic announced it would invest $20 million in a super PAC formed to counter another super PAC backed by prominent OpenAI figures and investors. Anthropic’s side is fighting for stronger AI regulation, while OpenAI favors a laissez-faire playing field. Among other things, the money will go toward campaigning for preferred candidates ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
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