IF Artificial Intelligence is going to dominate the world in the immediate future, India’s massive user base which is second only to the United States, is certain to compel the father of OpenAI creator Sam Altman to intensely exploit the domestic market here.
■ File photo
Visibly impacted by the unprecedented growth and potential of AI in India, Mr Altman expressed his readiness to walk the path of partnership with Indian collaborators, if necessary.
Altman, also the creator of ChatGPT, who is currently in India to participate in the Five–Day ‘Global AI Impact Summit 2026’ which got underway on Monday, disclosed that India currently boasts of 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users and accounts for one-eighth of ChatGPT’s global weekly users (800M+ as of Oct 2025).
The use of AI technology is increasing rapidly in India. ChatGPT also has research tools. The name of this LaTeX–based tool is ‘Prism’ and India ranks fourth in the world in the use of this AI tool
Unprecedented User Base of AI in India
This unprecedented number of user base is one of the biggest prompts for him to deepen his engagement with the Indian government on the soil of this country, Mr Altman indicated in New Delhi at the sidelines of the summit where OpenAI and other major AI players have gathered to showcase their vision.
Besides
Altman, Sundar Pichai (Alphabet CEO), Dario Amodei (Anthropic CEO), Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind CEO), Arthur Mensch (Mistral AI CEO), Jensen Huang (Nvidia CEO), Brad Smith (Microsoft President), Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm CEO), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe CEO), Julie Sweet (Accenture CEO), Nikhesh Arora (Palo Alto Networks CEO) and Yann LeCun (Former Meta Chief Scientist) are among the illustrious participants.
■ OpenAI creator Sam Altman with prime minister Narendra Modi | X
According to Altman, the use of AI technology is increasing rapidly in India. ChatGPT also has research tools. The name of this LaTeX–based tool is ‘Prism’ and India ranks fourth in the world in the use of this AI tool.
Last year, OpenAI opened its first office in Delhi. More than 200 non–profit organisations in four cities of India have recently been trained to increase their impact and efficiency using ChatGPT.
Broader Challenge for AI Companies
However, ChatGPT’s rapid growth also highlights a broader challenge for AI companies in the country which is translating widespread adoption into sustained economic impact.
The Indian government initiatives such as the India AI Mission — a national programme aimed at expanding computing capacity, supporting startups, and accelerating AI adoption in public services — seek to address those gaps. However, the country’s price–sensitive market and infrastructure constraints have made monetisation and large–scale deployment more complex than in developed economies.
India’s billion–plus internet users and young demographic footprint make it a battleground for AI adoption, with companies competing to embed tools into classrooms and everyday workflows
“Given India’s size, it also risks forfeiting a vital opportunity to advance democratic AI in emerging markets around the world,” Altman felt, warning that uneven access and adoption could concentrate AI’s economic gains in too few hands.
India’s billion–plus internet users and young demographic footprint make it a battleground for AI adoption, with companies competing to embed tools into classrooms and everyday workflows.
Will AI Translate into More Jobs ?
But even with 100M weekly active users, the question is whether this translates into jobs, productivity gains, and innovation at scale. The India AI Mission aims to close this gap by expanding computing capacity, supporting startups, and embedding AI in public services.
Hence, India is no longer just a “growth market”— it’s becoming a testing ground for AI adoption models (like free tiers and student–focused plans). The education sector is emerging as the most influential driver of AI usage, shaping how companies design their offerings. With OpenAI and Google both investing heavily, India might set the tone for how AI integrates into learning worldwide.
Education sector is emerging as the most influential driver of AI usage, shaping how companies design their offerings. With OpenAI and Google both investing heavily, India might set the tone for how AI integrates into learning worldwide
Recently, OpenAI came under the wrath of US President Donald Trump’s administration. White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro has alleged that ChatGPT is providing AI services to countries like India and China at the expense of US taxpayers.
Navarro said, “India will use AI, and why would American citizens pay for it ? ChatGPT operates from US soil. America’s electricity is being used. It serves India, China and the rest of the world. Despite the controversy, OpenAI is keen to expand in India. ■
Prasanta Paul served Deccan Herald as the Chief of Bureau, Calcutta for nearly two decades before switching to work with various TV channels such as Al-Jazeera, CNN, German TV and CBS. Mr. Paul who accompanied former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on his overseas tour of Singapore and other Asian countries, travelled extensively to Bhutan, Sikkim and Darjeeling besides other Northeastern states.
Prasanta Paul | THE June 2020 Indo–China Galwan skirmish at Ladakh is still fresh in our memories; but there is no letup in the aggressive posture of the Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LoC) in the Himalayas. Though the bugle of peace between India and China, two nuclear–armed nations may not be…
Prasanta Paul | THE Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal received a hard wrap from the Calcutta High Court for its failure to hand over to the Border Security Force (BSF) the land acquired by the state authorities for erecting barbed wire fencing across the Indo–Bangladesh international border. In a landmark judgement delivered recently, a…
SUBHRA GUPTA | THE recent poll verdict in Bangladesh has significance embedded in various layers for its immediate neighbours, spanning from the East, West and Southeast Asian regions apart from the international superpowers. After nearly two years of political slugfest targeting India, the verdict betrayed exactly the opposite; the large majority of voters in Bangladesh…
Special Correspondent February 17, 2026 THE chapters in the controversial multi–crore teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal are yet to be closed. Fresh revelations about the complicity between the ruling clique and a senior leader of the Rastriya Sawamsevak Sangh or RSS have started surfacing in Birbhum district. Grapevine has it that one Jayashree Saha,…
DHAKA | BANGLADESH’s streets have again erupted with political violence. In early July, a university student protest began over Bangladesh’s job quota system that disproportionately benefits the descendants of Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war fighters, which many students view as unfair and outdated. Early last week, peaceful protests turned violent as police and ruling party supporters…
