India has emerged as one of OpenAI’s largest global markets, boasting 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users, a figure second only to the United States. This significant growth was highlighted by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman ahead of a government-hosted AI summit in New Delhi. Altman detailed ChatGPT’s increasing adoption in an article published in the Times of India, coinciding with OpenAI's formal participation in the five-day India AI Impact Summit.

OpenAI, along with other leading AI firms, views India’s young population and over a billion internet users as crucial for its global expansion strategy. The company established a New Delhi office in August 2025 following extensive groundwork. To cater to India's price-sensitive market, OpenAI introduced a sub-$5 ChatGPT Go tier, which was later made free for a year for Indian users. Altman emphasized India's growing importance in OpenAI's global strategy, noting its substantial user base contributes to the platform’s worldwide surge, with overall usage reaching 800 million weekly active users by October 2025 and nearing 900 million.

Students are a key driver of this adoption, with India having the largest number of student users of ChatGPT globally. This trend is also observed among other AI companies, as rivals like Google similarly target the Indian student market. Google, for instance, offered Indian students a free one-year subscription to its AI Pro plan in September 2025. Chris Phillips, Google’s VP and GM for education, separately noted that India accounts for the highest global usage of Gemini for learning.

Altman conveyed his optimism regarding India’s role in the future of AI, stating that “With its focus on access, practical AI literacy, and the infrastructure that supports widespread adoption, India is well positioned to broaden who benefits from the technology and to help shape how democratic AI is adopted at scale.”

Despite this rapid growth, ChatGPT’s expansion in India also underscores broader challenges for AI companies, particularly in translating widespread adoption into sustained economic impact. India’s price-sensitive market and infrastructure constraints present complexities for monetization and large-scale deployment compared to more developed economies. Indian government initiatives, such as the IndiaAI Mission – a national program designed to expand computing capacity, support startups, and accelerate AI adoption in public services – aim to bridge these gaps. Altman warned that uneven access and adoption could concentrate AI’s economic gains in too few hands, risking India's opportunity to advance democratic AI in emerging markets globally.

OpenAI plans to deepen its engagement with the Indian government, with Altman signaling forthcoming announcements of new partnerships aimed at broadening access to AI across the country. While details were not provided, the focus will be on expanding reach and enabling more people to effectively utilize AI tools. The India AI Impact Summit is set to attract a diverse group of global technology and political leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and prominent Indian business figures like Mukesh Ambani and Nandan Nilekani. International political leaders such as Emmanuel Macron, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are also expected, further highlighting India’s ambition to become a central player in global AI discussions. For global AI firms like OpenAI, the summit demonstrates how India’s vast user base is increasingly influencing the evolution of AI technology.