Sam Altman lists 3 priorities for India’s AI future

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that India has become the second-largest market for ChatGPT in the world, with the country now recording 100 million weekly active users. The figure, shared in an exclusive opinion piece Altman wrote for The Times of India.

Altman described the milestone as clear evidence of India’s rapid momentum in adopting generative AI. He pointed out that students form the single largest user group globally for ChatGPT. He describes the momentum around AI adoption in India as clear and expanding, with users increasingly engaging not just with AI tools but also with the broader ecosystem of innovation they enable.

A central theme of Altman’s column is access. He argues that AI’s benefits will only be democratic if access and adoption are widespread. If AI tools remain concentrated among a small segment of users, their advantages will also remain uneven. Ensuring broad participation, across education, institutions and industries, is therefore essential to translating access into meaningful economic and social outcomes. “Agency is what turns access and adoption into impact by giving people the ability and confidence to use AI to learn faster, build more and make better decisions,” he said.

In the column, Altman outlines three priorities he believes are critical for India to translate AI access into meaningful progress.

First, he stresses the need for AI literacy at scale. Beyond simply using tools, people must understand how to apply AI effectively in real-world settings, whether in classrooms, workplaces or research. Practical fluency, he writes, builds both skill and confidence.

Second, Altman highlights the importance of infrastructure and computing capacity. Countries that invest in computing power and digital infrastructure, he argues, will be better positioned to shape the future of AI rather than simply consume it. Infrastructure, in his words, is foundational to unlocking long-term benefits.

Third, he emphasises the role of broad access and responsible deployment. Institutions must build trust in the tools they adopt, and policymakers must create frameworks that ensure AI is used safely and equitably. Adoption should empower individuals and expand opportunity.

The column also highlights OpenAI’s commitment to expanding access in India, including making tools widely available and supporting near-term practical applications. OpenAI has also deepened its presence in India following the establishment of an office in New Delhi in August 2025 and pricing adjustments aimed at the local market. To cater to India’s price-sensitive user base, the company introduced a lower-cost tier of ChatGPT, and later made certain offerings free for a period to boost accessibility.

The opinion piece was published just a day before the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where Altman is scheduled to speak. He framed the summit as a pivotal moment for accelerating AI’s benefits across the country and working together on equitable, inclusive growth.

(Credit: All quotes, figures and key points are taken directly from Sam Altman’s exclusive opinion piece published in The Times of India on February 15, 2026)