OpenAI’s ChatGPT Gains Traction in India, Reaching 100 Million Weekly Users

India has emerged as a key market for OpenAI’s ChatGPT, with 100 million weekly active users, according to CEO Sam Altman. This makes India one of the largest user bases globally for the AI chatbot, second only to the United States.

Growing Adoption and Strategic Importance

Altman outlined ChatGPT’s growing adoption in India in an article published in the Times of India, ahead of his participation in the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, which began on February 16, 2026. The summit brings together leaders from the global AI community, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and prominent Indian business figures like Mukesh Ambani and Nandan Nilekani.

OpenAI opened a New Delhi office in August 2025, demonstrating its commitment to the Indian market. The company has also adapted its pricing strategy for India, introducing a ChatGPT Go tier priced under $5, which was later offered free for a year to Indian users.

Student Engagement and Market Trends

India boasts the largest number of student users of ChatGPT worldwide, highlighting the platform’s appeal within the education sector. This trend mirrors similar efforts by other AI companies, such as Google, which has offered Indian students a free one-year subscription to its AI Pro plan since September 2025. Google also reports that India accounts for the highest global usage of Gemini for learning as reported by CNBC.

Challenges and Opportunities

Whereas ChatGPT’s usage has surged globally – reaching 800 million weekly active users as of October 2025 and approaching 900 million – translating widespread adoption into sustained economic impact remains a challenge in India. Factors such as the country’s price sensitivity and infrastructure limitations complicate monetization and large-scale deployment.

Altman emphasized the importance of equitable access to AI, warning that uneven adoption could concentrate economic benefits in limited areas. He also indicated that OpenAI plans to announce new partnerships with the Indian government to expand AI access across the country, focusing on widening reach and practical applications.

OpenAI’s Recent Performance

As of February 9, 2026, ChatGPT’s monthly growth is exceeding 10%, according to an internal Slack message from Sam Altman to OpenAI employees as reported by CNBC. OpenAI is also preparing to launch an updated Chat model this week. The company’s coding product, Codex, has experienced approximately 50% growth in the past week, competing with Anthropic’s Claude Code.

Sam Altman’s Background

Sam Altman, born on April 22, 1985, is the CEO of OpenAI and has been a prominent figure in the AI boom since the successful launch of ChatGPT in 2022 according to Wikipedia. He previously served as president of Y Combinator from 2014 to 2019 and has held chairman positions at Helion Energy and Oklo Inc. (until April 2025). In 2025, Altman was named among the “Architects of AI” for Time’s Person of the Year, and his net worth is estimated at US$2.1 billion according to Forbes.