India has emerged as one of OpenAI’s largest markets, with CEO Sam Altman revealing that the country now boasts 100 million weekly active users of ChatGPT. This figure makes India the second-largest user base for the AI tool globally, trailing only the United States. Altman shared the update in an article published in the Times of India ahead of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where he is attending alongside top executives from major global AI companies. The surge in adoption reflects OpenAI’s growing focus on India, a nation with a young, tech-savvy population and over a billion internet users. The company opened a New Delhi office in August 2025 after months of preparation and tailored its offerings to India’s price-sensitive market, including launching a sub-$5 ChatGPT Go tier that was later made free for Indian users for a year. Altman emphasized that Indian students are the largest group of ChatGPT users worldwide, underscoring the platform’s deep integration into the country’s education sector. This trend is mirrored by other tech giants—Google recently offered Indian students a free one-year subscription to its AI Pro plan, while India also leads in global usage of Google’s Gemini for learning, according to Chris Phillips, Google’s VP for education. In his article, Altman praised India’s potential to drive inclusive, democratic AI adoption, citing its focus on accessibility, practical AI literacy, and infrastructure development. He noted that India is well-positioned to expand who benefits from AI and shape its large-scale deployment in emerging economies. However, Altman also warned that widespread usage does not automatically translate into economic impact. Challenges such as infrastructure limitations and a price-sensitive market continue to complicate monetization and large-scale implementation for AI firms. He cautioned that without equitable access, the benefits of AI could become concentrated in a few hands, potentially undermining the technology’s democratic potential. OpenAI plans to deepen its collaboration with the Indian government, with Altman hinting at upcoming partnerships aimed at expanding AI access across the country, though specific details were not disclosed. The India AI Impact Summit, drawing global leaders including Sundar Pichai, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, and Indian business icons like Mukesh Ambani and Nandan Nilekani, highlights India’s rising role in shaping the future of AI. International figures such as Emmanuel Macron, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are also attending, reflecting the summit’s significance in global tech governance. For OpenAI and other AI leaders, India’s massive user base is not just a market opportunity—it’s a strategic influence point in determining how AI evolves worldwide.