OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, will open its first office in India later this year in New Delhi, marking a significant move to strengthen its foothold in the country. Backed by Microsoft, OpenAI has registered as a legal entity in India and begun hiring a local team, the company announced in a statement.
India is a key market for OpenAI, which launched its most affordable monthly plan at $4.60 this week, targeting the country’s nearly one billion internet users. However, OpenAI faces legal challenges in India, with some news outlets and book publishers accusing the company of using their content without permission to train ChatGPT. OpenAI has denied these allegations.
CEO Sam Altman emphasized that opening an office and building a local team represents a crucial step in OpenAI’s commitment to making AI more accessible in India. He stated that the company aims to create AI that is developed for India, and with India.
The company faces competition in India from major players like Google’s Gemini and AI startup Perplexity, both of which offer free access to advanced plans for many users in the market. India has the largest student user base for ChatGPT, and the platform’s weekly active users have quadrupled in the past year, according to OpenAI’s latest data.
