India overtakes US as ChatGPT's largest market with 100 million weekly users

India Becomes ChatGPT's Largest Market Globally

India has overtaken the United States to become ChatGPT's largest market by weekly active users, marking a significant milestone for OpenAI1

1

2

2

. Speaking to Indian podcaster Raj Shamani, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed that India now has more ChatGPT users than the US1

1

. When asked directly whether India was bigger than the US for ChatGPT, Altman responded: "Yeah. More ChatGPT is just India than the US." The Indian user base has doubled since January 2026, with OpenAI India MD Prabhjeet Singh attributing this user growth to Indians increasingly integrating ChatGPT into their everyday workflows2

2

. In February 2026, OpenAI reported India had more than 100 million weekly active users2

2

.

AI Adoption in India Contrasts with US Skepticism

Sam Altman on AI highlighted a striking difference in attitudes between the two countries. He observed that Americans appear unusually negative about AI compared to the rest of the world1

1

. "I do think that the US, at least on expressed preference, is unusually negative on AI relative to the rest of the world," Altman stated. He explained that countries developing faster, where economies are growing rapidly, tend to be more welcoming of AI than more developed economies4

4

. Developing countries often have greater need for products and services, and generative AI tools could help meet these needs, explaining why AI adoption in India appears more enthusiastic.

Practical Applications Drive Indian User Base Growth

The growth reflects how Indians are using ChatGPT for practical, real-world applications rather than treating it as a novelty3

3

. Altman praised India's "incredible builder energy," pointing to users deploying AI tools to build companies and complete tasks that might otherwise require considerable time and effort1

1

. He shared an example of a young Indian student who used OpenAI's tools to organize fundraising for his school despite having no prior fundraising experience. "I just heard about some Indian kid that needed to do some fundraising for his school and had never done fundraising before and was able to get the full stack of it done with a set of our tools. And it was awesome," Altman said1

1

. People are using the platform for work, study, content creation, coding, and everyday problem-solving3

3

.

OpenAI Expands Infrastructure and Localization Efforts

To reach users beyond major cities, OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT's Indian-language capabilities and focusing on Android-first product development2

2

. This mobile-first accessibility approach fits India's smartphone market, where mobile devices remain the primary internet gateway for millions of users3

3

. OpenAI announced its first India office in Delhi NCR and began local hiring in August 20252

2

. At the India AI Impact Summit in February, the company unveiled plans for Mumbai and Bengaluru offices and launched OpenAI for India to expand access, infrastructure, and enterprise adoption. The partnership with TCS' HyperVault data centre business starts with 100 megawatts of computing capacity, potentially scaling to 1 gigawatt2

2

.

Enterprise Adoption and Advertising Expansion

Enterprises, global capability centres, and startups are moving beyond pilots to production deployments, with Prabhjeet Singh citing JioHotstar and Cars24 as examples2

2

. India is among Codex's largest and fastest-growing markets, with significant developer use emerging from tier-II cities. OpenAI is expanding advertising on ChatGPT in India, partnering with Razorpay to help Indian brands advertise on the platform2

2

. Early participating brands include Tanishq, Fastrack, Traya, Tata Neu, and NMIMS. Singh emphasized that advertisers would not have access to users' personal information and advertisements would not influence ChatGPT's responses. OpenAI is also expected to make announcements concerning UPI and payments in the coming weeks2

2

.

Implications for the Global Market and AI Regulation

India's position as the largest global market intensifies competition among AI firms and makes the country central to OpenAI's product, monetization, and infrastructure plans3

3

. OpenAI is engaging with government agencies, banks, and financial institutions to strengthen cybersecurity and protect critical infrastructure against AI agent misuse2

2

. Singh backed clear AI regulation to build confidence among consumers, enterprises, and developers. Altman believes this could be one of the best times in history to build a company or develop new technology, encouraging founders to explore opportunities that may not seem obvious to everyone4

4

.