The Weekly AI Digest
Week of 17–21 February 2026
In AI News This Week
Altman and Amodei Refuse to Hold Hands at India AI Summit
When Modi prompted speakers to join hands for a photo, all executives obliged except Altman and Amodei, who raised their fists separately. The tension reflects a real rivalry — Anthropic’s Super Bowl ads aired just three days before the summit.
Why it matters: India is positioning itself as a major AI hub and the first Global South nation to host this series of summits.
OpenAI Hires OpenClaw Creator
OpenAI hired Peter Steinberger, the developer behind OpenClaw (196,000+ GitHub stars). Sam Altman announced he would “drive the next generation of personal agents.” Both Meta and Microsoft also courted Steinberger.
Why it matters: The AI race is shifting from models to agents. This hire is OpenAI’s attempt to close the gap with Anthropic in the developer segment.
Dario Amodei Warns AI Progress Is Accelerating Faster Than Expected
Amodei described AI progress as following a “decade-long exponential trajectory” and referred to the coming era as a “country of geniuses in a data centre.”
Why it matters: Amodei is one of the most prominent voices calling for both AI acceleration and AI safety. His warnings are worth taking seriously.
India Commits $200 Billion to AI
PM Modi announced $200 billion over five years covering infrastructure, R&D, education and industry development. Indian AI company Sarvam AI launched new LLMs supporting regional languages.
Why it matters: India is making a serious bet on becoming an AI leader. This signals a growing market and potential partnerships.
AI Chatbots and Duty to Warn
The New York Times asked whether AI companies have a “duty to warn” when chatbots are used to plan violence. The question sits at the intersection of AI ethics, product design and legal liability.
Why it matters: As AI chatbots become more widely used for emotional support and advice, questions about responsibility and liability are growing.
Australia Watch
Age Verification Deadline Approaches
Australia’s eSafety regulator will require AI platforms to implement age verification by March 9. Fines up to $49.5 million apply for non-compliance.
Over half of the 50 most popular AI tools have taken no visible steps to comply.
AI Safety Institute Takes Shape
Debate continues over what Australia’s new AI Safety Institute should focus on. Three groups are competing to shape its direction.
The institute has $29.9 million in funding but currently lacks enforcement powers.
Emerging Trends
The Agent Race Is Heating Up
The question is no longer which AI can write the best email but which AI can actually send it, book the meeting and follow up.
Businesses should start thinking about workflow automation, not just content generation.
India Is Becoming a Major AI Market
India’s $200 billion commitment signals the country is emerging as a significant AI player.
For Australian businesses, this may create partnership and expansion opportunities.
Platform Diversification Is Accelerating
OpenAI and Anthropic are both building enterprise platforms and agent tooling. Relying on a single AI provider is risky.
Building flexibility into your AI stack is increasingly important.