Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, criticized the India AI Impact Summit as “extremely disorganized,” igniting a political dispute between India’s ruling BJP and the Congress party.
Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, has sparked controversy following his remarks about the India AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi. His comments have led to a clash between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress party regarding the event’s organization and its global reputation.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Amodei described the summit, which attracted over 100 leaders in artificial intelligence, including CEOs and CXOs, as “extremely disorganized.” His statement came in response to a question regarding an awkward moment during the event where he and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman refrained from holding hands, a gesture that was common among other tech leaders present.
Notably, Amodei previously served as the vice president of research at OpenAI before founding Anthropic. His remarks were quickly seized upon by Congress leaders, with party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi suggesting that the summit was more about “Artificial Image Management” than substantive discussion.
Amitabh Dubey, who oversees research and monitoring for the All India Congress Committee, shared a clip of Amodei’s comments on social media platform X, amplifying the criticism of the summit.
In response, the BJP defended the summit and pushed back against the Congress party’s interpretation of Amodei’s remarks. Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP’s information and technology department, claimed that the video shared by Congress had been “edited” to omit Amodei’s clarification that disorganization is a common feature at AI summits worldwide.
Malviya accused the Congress party of attempting to “run down India’s achievements” and labeled their actions as part of an “India-loathing” ecosystem. He emphasized that the summit successfully brought together global leaders, policymakers, and industry experts to discuss the future of AI.
This political dispute comes amid broader concerns surrounding AI and national security. Recently, President Donald Trump ordered Anthropic to restrict foreign access to its advanced AI models, Mythos 5 and Claude Fable 5, citing national security issues. This unprecedented directive, issued last week, affects all foreign nationals both within and outside the United States, prompting Anthropic to take these models offline to ensure compliance.
Previously, Anthropic had provided access to its Claude Mythos Preview model to 200 institutions across 15 countries for vulnerability testing. While the U.S. government did not provide a specific rationale for the order, Anthropic indicated that it was their understanding that the Trump administration had become aware of a method for “jailbreaking” the Fable 5 model.
The Trump administration’s decision has raised eyebrows globally, particularly in Europe, which relies heavily on U.S.-developed AI technologies. In light of these developments, Anthropic staff recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to discuss the implications of the order. The company has faced tensions with the White House, having been blacklisted earlier this year over a separate disagreement.
As the political fallout from Amodei’s comments continues, the future of AI discussions in India and beyond remains uncertain, with stakeholders closely monitoring the evolving landscape.
According to Bloomberg, the situation highlights the intersection of technology, politics, and international relations in the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence.