Can OpenAI’s New Delhi office spark India’s AI hub ambition?
Competition is heating up between the ChatGPT maker and its AI rivals, Google’s Gemini and Perplexity AI, to expand in the key Indian market
Earlier this month, OpenAI rolled out a ChatGPT subscription plan priced at 399 rupees (US$4.57) per month – its most affordable yet globally – as part of its push to expand its presence in its second-largest market by user numbers.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a statement last week: “Opening our first office and building a local team is an important first step in our commitment to make advanced AI more accessible across the country and to build AI for India, and with India.”
Altman, who is expected to visit New Delhi to launch the company’s local office later this year, also said in a separate social media post: “AI adoption in India has been amazing to watch – ChatGPT users grew 4x in the past year – and we are excited to invest much more in India!”
Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister for electronics and information technology, hailed India’s partnership with OpenAI, saying in a social media post last week that the country was “uniquely positioned to drive the next wave of AI-led transformation”. He added: “As part of the IndiaAI Mission, we are building the ecosystem for trusted and inclusive AI.”