Key Highlights –
- OpenAI plans to open its first office in India by the end of 2025, with hiring to commence immediately.
- This would bolster the IndiaAI initiative by supporting faster AI adoption across industries.
- India has become the second-largest market for ChatGPT worldwide.
OpenAI launches the cheapest ChatGPT subscription in India at $4.60 per month.
OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, is setting up its first office in India before the end of this year. CEO Sam Altman stated that the decision is strategic in nature, “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.”
we are opening our first office in india later this year! and i’m looking forward to visiting next month.
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!
— Sam Altman (@sama) August 22, 2025
They have started hiring for the new office, and the team is expected to work towards local innovation, user engagement, and collaboration with businesses and developers across the country.
Supporting the IndiaAI Mission
The establishment of a local presence is intended to assist in supporting local students, educators, developers, and professionals who are already active users of OpenAI tools. Aligning the office closely with the government’s IndiaAI Mission, a nationwide movement to propel AI innovation, skill development, and ethical AI practices, would entail more penetration into local dynamics and engagement with the community. The company will be organizing its first Education Summit in India this month, followed by the Developer Day later this year, so that it can interact with the fast-growing AI community within the nation.
Why India Is A Critical Market for ChatGPT
India swiftly made its place as the second-largest market, after the United States, for ChatGPT service, underlining its importance as a market for OpenAI. Active weekly users in India have quadrupled in 2024, marking an all-time high surge in setting adoption. India, with a large student population using AI for learning, research, and skill-building, is now counted among the top five developer markets worldwide on OpenAI’s platform.
With almost a billion internet users in the country, OpenAI has recently introduced an entry-level plan made available for only $4.60 per month, with the aspiration of making high-level AI tools accessible to the general public, as well as to individual users and businesses. You can read more about it in our coverage here.
The Challenges OpenAI Could Face
While an overall bright forecast, OpenAI faces mounting legal and regulatory hurdles in India. Several publishers and agencies have accused the company of scraping content without prior approval to train AI systems. OpenAI has rejected any such accusations, but the matter is currently under review and if the verdict comes against OpenAI, it could have ramifications in setting a precedent on how the company conducts itself locally.
Looking Ahead
Since OpenAI has a presence in India, it has started engaging more deeply with leading global AI players and the Indian tech ecosystem in general. It aims to tie its presence to the local office through partnerships for innovation and encouragement of AI applications in various sectors, including education, agriculture, recruitment, and governance, thereby making this a long-term endeavour for the market.
With India poised to assert itself as the global power centre for AI development, the establishment of OpenAI will act as a catalyst to swiftly push cutting-edge AI technologies into the realm of daily life, work, training, and industry in the country.
– Arshiya Kunwar
You may also like to read –
