The India AI Impact Summit witnessed an intriguing moment as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei subtly underscored the rivalry between their companies. During a group photo with prominent figures, they opted for a fist bump instead of joining hands.

The stage was set at the India AI Impact Summit, featuring not only Altman and Amodei, but also Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Google’s Sundar Pichai, among other notable leaders, all of whom delivered keynote speeches.

Before this moment, Prime Minister Modi had playfully raised the hands of Altman and Pichai to enthusiastic applause, setting a precedent for others to follow. However, when it came to Altman and Amodei, positioned next to each other, they chose to raise their fists in a silent gesture of competition rather than engage in a display of unity.

This seemingly small gesture highlights the escalating competition between OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, and Anthropic, known for its Claude model, as each company strives to become the leading AI choice for users across the globe.

The two companies have recently exchanged words about potentially using advertisements in their AI models, further adding to the tension.

The image of Altman and Amodei’s non-hand-holding instantly became a talking point on social media platforms.

Siddharth Bhatia, the cofounder of AI startup Puch AI, humorously commented on X: “When AGI? The day Dario and Sam hold hands.”

Justine Moore, an investing partner at Andreesen Horowitz, joined in with a touch of humor, sharing the picture with the caption: “When you’re forced to do a group project with your opp.”

Adding fuel to the fire, Anthropic released Super Bowl commercials last month, playfully mocking OpenAI’s plans to start testing ads for free users and ChatGPT Go subscribers in the U.S.

Altman responded to these commercials by labeling them as “clearly dishonest,” stating: “I guess it’s on brand for Anthropic doublespeak to use a deceptive ad to critique theoretical deceptive ads that aren’t real, but a Super Bowl ad is not where I would expect it.”

Anthropic’s chief customer officer, Paul Smith, responded by telling CNBC that the company was focused on developing its business instead of trying to grab attention with “flashy headlines,” subtly referencing OpenAI.

During the summit, Altman spoke with CNBC following the photo, saying: “We still have some work to do to figure out the exact ad format that’s going to work best.”

Anthropic, established in 2021, was founded by former OpenAI staff and researchers, including Amodei, who departed after disagreeing with the company’s strategic direction. Since its inception, Anthropic has positioned itself as a “safety-first” alternative in the AI landscape.

Both OpenAI and Anthropic have since secured billions of dollars in funding as they compete intensely for users, business clients, and a larger share of the market.

During his presentation at the summit, Amodei addressed the “serious risks” connected with AI, including the possibility of autonomous behavior in AI systems, potential misuse by malicious actors, and the possibility of widespread job losses.

Altman, in his own speech, emphasized that a comprehensive understanding of AI safety must include “societal resilience,” further stating: “We believe no AI lab can deliver a good future on their own.”