OpenAI Plans First India Office, Begins Delhi Hiring

OpenAI is set to open its first office in New Delhi later this year, marking a significant expansion in India, its second-largest market by user base after the United States. The company has established a legal entity in India and begun hiring local staff to strengthen partnerships with the government, developers, businesses, and academic institutions, especially under the IndiaAI Mission. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman highlighted India's vast tech talent, developer ecosystem, and government support as key factors for the country's potential to become a global leader in AI. India has seen rapid growth in ChatGPT usage, with weekly active users quadrupling over the past year and the largest student population on the platform worldwide. Despite its expansion, OpenAI faces legal challenges in India over allegations of using content without permission for AI training, which the company denies. Competition in the Indian market is strong, with rivals like Google's Gemini and AI startup Perplexity offering free advanced AI plans to users.