India’s growing engagement with artificial intelligence is drawing attention at the global level, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman highlighting the country’s strong adoption of AI tools and its expanding user base. In a recent conversation with entrepreneur Raj Shamani on his podcast Figuring Out, Altman revealed that India has surpassed the US to become OpenAI’s largest market by ChatGPT users.
Altman observed a clear difference in how people in the 2 countries perceive AI. He said Americans tend to be more cautious and pessimistic about the technology, while Indians show greater optimism and enthusiasm for exploring its possibilities.
“When I talk to somebody in US, a random person, they’re slightly pessimistic about AI and when I talk to people in India, they’re very optimistic about it. It’s an incredible difference,” Altman said.
India emerges as OpenAI’s largest market
During the conversation, Altman confirmed that India has more ChatGPT users than the US and continues to experience rapid growth. He also highlighted the willingness of Indian users to experiment with AI and apply it to practical challenges, including building businesses.
As an example, he shared the story of an Indian student who used OpenAI’s tools to organise an entire fundraising initiative for his school despite having no previous fundraising experience. Altman said such examples demonstrate how people are finding new ways to use AI beyond everyday applications.
Economic growth may explain India’s AI optimism
Altman linked India’s positive approach towards AI to its economic development and growing demand for products and services. According to him, developing economies with faster growth and significant unmet demand are often more receptive to emerging technologies than established economies.
“One thing that many people have observed is that countries that are developing faster, where the economy is growing faster and there’s like more of a need for products and services and like, you know, there’s just huge undersupply, are more welcoming of AI than more developed economies,” he said.
Altman reflects on his decision not to own OpenAI equity
The discussion also touched on Altman’s decision not to hold an ownership stake in OpenAI despite leading the company. He acknowledged that the decision may have been a mistake, although he initially made it for what he believed were valid reasons.
“I think not taking, not having equity in OpenAI has been a mistake. I did it for what I thought were good reasons. I think it’s just been hugely confusing to people,” Altman said.
He explained that people often struggle to understand why someone would dedicate years to building a company without owning a stake in it. He compared his work at OpenAI to an artist spending years creating something or an athlete investing countless hours in practice without necessarily expecting to make a fortune.
Altman said building OpenAI remains some of the most interesting and important work he could pursue. However, he recognised that his decision not to take equity has been difficult for others to understand.
Altman addresses criticism in the US
Altman also discussed the criticism he faces in the US. He said Americans tend to be sceptical of people in positions of power, particularly leaders of major technology companies.
While acknowledging that scrutiny of powerful individuals and organisations can be justified, he felt that the criticism directed towards him had sometimes gone too far.
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