India has 100 million weekly dynamic ChatGPT users, making the country one of OpenAI’s largest markets in the world, CEO Sam Altman said ahead of the government-hosted AI Summit.
On Sunday, Altman described the growing operate of ChatGPT in India in an article published in the Indian-English daily Times of India, as OpenAI prepares to formally participate in the five-day India AI Impact Summit in Recent Delhi, which begins on Monday. Altman is attending the event alongside senior executives from several of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies.
The growth comes as OpenAI, like other leading artificial intelligence companies, looks to India’s teenage population and more than one billion internet users to drive global expansion. The ChatGPT maker opened an office in Recent Delhi in August 2025 after months of groundwork in the country and adapted its approach to the price-sensitive Indian market, including the launch of the ChatGPT Go tier at under $5, which was later made available for free for a year to Indian users.
In the article, Altman stated that India is ChatGPT’s second-largest user base after the United States, highlighting the South Asian country’s growing importance in OpenAI’s global strategy. The disclosure comes as overall ChatGPT usage has increased globally, with the platform reaching 800 million weekly dynamic users in October 2025 and reports is approaching 900 million.
Altman also highlighted the role of students in driving adoption, saying India has the highest number of students using ChatGPT in the world.
Indian students have emerged as a key growth segment for leading artificial intelligence companies more broadly, as rivals race to embed their tools in classrooms and learning processes. Google has similarly targeted the market by offering Indian students: free 1-year subscription to the AI Pro plan in September 2025. India accounts for the highest global operate of Gemini for education, Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president and general manager of education, said last month.
“By focusing on access, hands-on AI technology literacy, and the infrastructure to enable widespread adoption, India is well-positioned to expand the number of people using this technology and help shape how democratic AI is deployed at scale,” Altman wrote.
Techcrunch event
Boston, MA
|
June 23, 2026
ChatGPT’s rapid growth also highlights a broader challenge for AI companies in India: translating widespread adoption into lasting economic impact. Government of India initiatives such as the IndiaAI Mission – a national program to expand computing capacity, support startups and accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence in public services – aim to fill these gaps. However, price-sensitive market and infrastructure constraints in the country have made monetization and large-scale implementation more complicated than in advanced economies.
“Given India’s size, there is also a risk of missing an important opportunity to advance democratic AI in emerging markets around the world,” Altman wrote, warning that unequal access and adoption could concentrate AI’s economic benefits in too few hands.
Altman also signaled that OpenAI plans to deepen its collaboration with the Indian government, writing that the company will soon announce up-to-date partnerships aimed at expanding access to artificial intelligence across the country. He didn’t provide details, but said the focus would be on expanding reach and enabling more people to make practical operate of artificial intelligence tools.
The AI Impact Summit in India it is expected to attract a wide range of global technology and policy leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and senior Indian business figures such as Mukesh Ambani and Nandan Nilekani. Political leaders including Emmanuel Macron, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are also expected to attend the meeting, underscoring India’s ambition to position itself as a major player in global debates on artificial intelligence.
For global AI companies, including OpenAI, the summit highlights how India’s huge user base translates into a growing influence on the evolution of technology.
OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment.