India’s AI summit this week put on bold display the forces driving the AI boom: money and rivalry.
The event was a nexus for dealmaking and investment announcements. Anthropic is partnering with Indian giant Infosys; OpenAI is working on data centers with Mumbai-based Tata Group; and India’s Reliance Industries, led by Asia’s richest person, Mukesh Ambani, announced a $110 billion data center investment.
The summit was India’s opportunity to “hype itself as an emerging AI power,” The Economist wrote, and parade its “abilities as a global convener.” In a telling moment, the Indian prime minister posed on stage with the biggest names — and competitors — in AI, including the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic, who refused to link hands for a photo op.