Sam Altman
India has 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users, making the country OpenAI's second-largest market globally after the United States, CEO Sam Altman revealed Sunday in an article published in The Times of India ahead of his participation in the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi beginning Monday.
The disclosure highlights how rapidly AI tools are being adopted in India, driven by a young population and widespread internet access. Globally, ChatGPT crossed 800 million weekly active users by October 2025 and is reported to be approaching 900 million, meaning India accounts for a significant share of OpenAI's worldwide audience.
Students Drive India's ChatGPT Adoption
Altman emphasized that India has the largest number of student users of ChatGPT worldwide, with learners integrating AI tools into daily study habits, exam preparation, and research across schools and universities. Students use ChatGPT to prepare for exams, practice coding, improve writing skills, and learn new languages.
India also ranks fourth globally in usage of OpenAI's Prism, the company's free research-focused AI tool, demonstrating strong interest not just in casual AI use but also in scientific collaboration and advanced experimentation.
The growth comes as OpenAI and rival AI companies race to capture India's massive market. Google offered Indian students a free one-year subscription to its AI Pro plan in September 2025, and Chris Phillips, Google's vice president and general manager for education, said last month that India accounts for the highest global usage of Gemini for learning.
Adjusted Pricing for Price-Sensitive Market
OpenAI has adapted its approach for India's cost-sensitive market, opening a New Delhi office in August 2025 after months of preparation and introducing a ChatGPT Go tier priced below $5. The company later made this plan free for one year to Indian users to encourage broader adoption and widen access.
Altman also noted that more than 200 nonprofit leaders across four Indian cities were recently trained to use ChatGPT to improve their work efficiency, demonstrating OpenAI's efforts to expand beyond commercial users into social sector applications.
Government Partnerships and Access Challenges
Altman signaled that OpenAI plans to deepen cooperation with the Indian government, writing that new partnerships will be announced soon focused on expanding access to AI tools across the country, though he did not provide specific details. The partnerships aim to widen reach and enable more people to put AI tools to practical use across sectors.
However, Altman highlighted a key challenge for India's AI push: converting widespread usage into lasting economic value. He warned that uneven access risks concentrating AI's productivity and economic gains among a small group, potentially causing India to miss a crucial opportunity to lead democratic AI development in emerging markets.
"Access is the admission ticket; without it, people and institutions cannot participate fully in the AI era," Altman wrote. "When access, adoption, and agency align, more people can participate not just as users of AI, but as builders and beneficiaries of the growth it enables."
India AI Impact Summit Spotlight
The India AI Impact Summit, a five-day event expecting 250,000 visitors, brings together executives from major AI labs and Big Tech including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, and Indian business leaders Mukesh Ambani and Nandan Nilekani. Political leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron are also scheduled to attend.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to deliver a speech Thursday with Macron, underscoring India's ambition to position itself as a central player in global AI debates and governance. For OpenAI and its peers, India's 100 million weekly ChatGPT users demonstrate that the country has moved beyond being simply a growth market to becoming a key player shaping how AI technology evolves globally.
"AI will help define India's future, and India will help define AI's future," Altman wrote. "And it will do so in a way only a democracy can."
