ChatGPT now has 100M weekly active users in India, making the country its second largest market after the United States. Sam Altman shared this update ahead of the government hosted India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where he is attending alongside senior executives from leading AI companies. India’s rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools is increasingly shaping the global strategy of major AI firms.
In an article published in an Indian English daily, Altman highlighted how OpenAI is deepening its presence in the country. The company opened a New Delhi office in August 2025 after months of groundwork. It also introduced a sub $5 ChatGPT Go tier tailored for India price sensitive market, which was later made free for 1 year for Indian users. India’s young population and more than 1B internet users are seen as key drivers of OpenAI global expansion.
Altman noted that India is ChatGPT second largest user base globally, as the platform’s overall weekly active users reached 800M as of October 2025 and are reportedly nearing 900M. He also said India has the largest number of student users of ChatGPT worldwide. Student adoption has become a major growth area for AI companies. Google has also targeted the segment by offering Indian students a free 1 year subscription to its AI Pro plan in September 2025. India records the highest global usage of Gemini for learning, according to Chris Phillips, Google vice president and general manager for education.
“With its focus on access, practical Al 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,” Altman wrote. He also cautioned, “Given India’s size, it also risks forfeiting a vital opportunity to advance democratic AI in emerging markets around the world.” While initiatives such as the IndiaAI Mission aim to expand computing capacity, support startups and boost AI in public services, challenges remain in monetization and infrastructure. Altman added that OpenAI will soon announce new partnerships with the Indian government to expand access. The summit is expected to host leaders including Dario Amodei, Sundar Pichai, Mukesh Ambani, Nandan Nilekani, Emmanuel Macron, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment.
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