OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has hailed India, the world’s largest democracy, as a potential “full-stack AI leader,” announcing plans to expand the company’s footprint and deepen partnerships with the Government of India.
Ahead of the Global AI Impact Summit 2026, set to begin tomorrow at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Altman revealed in an article published in Times of India that India has surged to become OpenAI’s second-largest user base globally, trailing only the United States.
“OpenAI is committed to doing its part to help build AI in India, with India, and for India. We’ve made our tools available for free so they’re accessible to Indians regardless of their income, education, or familiarity with technology,” Altman wrote. He added that OpenAI is focused on practical, near-term steps to help Indians unlock AI’s transformative power.
Altman said the company recently brought together more than 200 nonprofit leaders across four Indian cities to learn how to use ChatGPT to extend their teams’ capacity and deepen their impact. He also noted that OpenAI opened its first office in Delhi last August and plans to further expand its presence this year.
The OpenAI chief said he will be in India next week and that the company will soon announce new ways of partnering with the Indian government to expand access to AI and its benefits across the country.
Altman outlined a three-part strategy to ensure AI benefits reach the grassroots. The pillars include Access, ensuring tools are available regardless of income or education; Adoption, integrating AI into schools, clinics, and small businesses; and Agency, empowering users with the confidence and literacy to use AI for high-level decision-making.
“When these three align, more people can participate not just as users of AI, but as builders and beneficiaries of the growth it enables,” he said.
Altman noted that India now has 100 million weekly active users. India also has the largest number of students using ChatGPT globally and ranks fourth worldwide in the adoption of Prism, OpenAI’s free tool for scientific research and LaTeX-based collaboration.
“India has all the ingredients: homegrown tech talent, a national strategy, and an infectious optimism about what AI can do for the country,” Altman said.
He added that India understands the need to use AI to build solutions that drive human progress. To that end, the government’s IndiaAI Mission is designed to expand compute capacity, support startups, and accelerate multilingual AI applications to improve public service delivery in areas such as healthcare and agriculture.
Altman warned of a “capability overhang,” where access to AI exists but effective usage remains concentrated among a small group. To counter this, he called for AI literacy at scale, focused on practical fluency rather than abstract familiarity.
He also stressed the importance of infrastructure, noting that countries investing in computing and energy foundations will be best positioned to shape AI’s future.
“AI will help define India’s future, and India will help define AI’s future—and it will do so in a way only a democracy can,” Altman said.
The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 will be held from February 16 to 20 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
As the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South, the event will bring together global leaders, policymakers, technology companies, innovators, and experts to deliberate on AI’s role in inclusive growth, governance, and sustainable development.
Democratisation of AI refers to making artificial intelligence accessible, affordable, and usable for a wide range of users. It includes access not only to applications, but also to core AI building blocks such as compute power, datasets, and model ecosystems.
Across key sectors, AI is already making a difference. In agriculture, AI helps farmers predict weather patterns, identify pest risks, and guide irrigation and sowing decisions. Platforms like Kisan e Mitra simplify access to government schemes, while the National Pest Surveillance System and Crop Health Monitoring use satellite and weather data to protect crops and improve income security.
In healthcare, AI enables early disease detection, assists in medical image analysis, and strengthens telemedicine services, connecting rural patients with specialists and expanding access to quality care.
India’s approach to democratising AI is guided by a full-stack model that spans applications, models, compute, infrastructure, and energy, treating these layers as interconnected national capabilities.
Approved in March 2024 with a financial outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore over five years, the IndiaAI Mission aims to expand access, strengthen data availability, and enable responsible use of AI for public good.
The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 will bring together 15 to 20 Heads of Government, more than 50 international ministers, and over 100 global and Indian CXOs, including Sam Altman. The summit’s deliberations are organised through “Chakras,” or working groups, structured around seven interconnected thematic areas. (ANI)
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