OpenAI CEO Altman says he felt uneasy during staged moment with Modi at India AI Summit

2026-02-20 - 07:13

NEW DELHI – Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, has spoken about an awkward onstage incident involving Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the India AI Impact Summit 2026, saying he was uncertain about what was unfolding at the time. In a recent interview, Altman said the moment occurred during a staged segment of the event when several prominent artificial intelligence leaders were invited onto the stage. He recalled feeling confused when the prime minister took his hand as part of what appeared to be a coordinated gesture for a group photograph. The India AI Impact Summit brought together leading figures from across the global technology sector to discuss advancements in artificial intelligence, regulatory challenges and the technology’s societal implications. However, a brief onstage sequence — in which around 14 participants were positioned in a hand-holding formation — drew more attention online than the summit’s policy discussions. Video clips of the scene quickly spread on social media which prompted mixed reactions. Some commentators criticised the moment as overly choreographed and distracting from the substantive agenda of the conference. Also present on stage was Dario Amodei, head of Anthropic, a company widely considered a key competitor to OpenAI. In circulating footage, Altman and Amodei appeared reluctant to fully engage in the linked pose and instead raised their fists, a move that stood out in contrast to the intended formation. The episode sparked discussion both internationally and within India, where some social media users described the optics as unnecessary for a high-level technology summit. Anthropic, co-founded by Amodei after his departure from OpenAI, is regarded as one of the leading firms in the artificial intelligence space, which further amplified attention on the interaction between the two executives during the event.