Sam Altman Says India Could Surpass U.S. as OpenAI’s Largest Market

During the global launch of GPT-5, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made a striking prediction: India could soon overtake the United States as the company’s largest market. His comments reflect both the country’s rapid AI adoption and its expanding digital ecosystem, positioning India as a future leader in artificial intelligence usage.

Speaking at the event, Altman praised “Incredible India” for its tech-savvy population, entrepreneurial spirit, and strong developer community. He highlighted that the nation’s booming smartphone penetration, low-cost internet access, and growing number of AI startups make it uniquely suited to become a global AI powerhouse.

Why India Is Poised for AI Leadership

Over the past decade, India has witnessed exponential growth in its digital economy, driven by government initiatives like Digital India, widespread mobile banking, and the proliferation of affordable devices. These developments have created a fertile ground for the adoption of AI-powered tools and services—from chatbots and voice assistants to large-scale enterprise AI deployments.

OpenAI has already seen strong uptake of its ChatGPT platform in India, with developers, students, and businesses integrating it into education, e-commerce, healthcare, and creative industries. With GPT-5’s enhanced reasoning, multimodality, and language capabilities, the opportunities for further adoption are even greater.

Global Implications of India’s Rise in AI Usage 
 

If India surpasses the U.S. in OpenAI usage, it could reshape global AI priorities, encouraging companies to optimize models for multilingual, culturally diverse, and mobile-first audiences. This shift could also drive AI-driven innovation in emerging markets, creating entirely new business models and services tailored to different economic landscapes.

Altman’s remarks make it clear: the AI revolution is not limited to Silicon Valley. India’s blend of scale, talent, and digital readiness might just make it the epicenter of the next big wave in artificial intelligence.