Published Date : 05/02/2025
New Delhi In a significant turnaround, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has acknowledged India's rapidly growing presence in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) landscape.
During his recent visit to New Delhi, Altman shared a platform with Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and praised India's strides in AI technology.
He confirmed that India is the second-largest market for OpenAI and highlighted a threefold increase in user base in the past year.
Altman's visit has been a whirlwind of meetings with industry leaders.
He met with prominent figures such as Paytm Founder-CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Snapdeal Co-Founder Kunal Bahl, Unacademy CEO Gaurav Munjal, Ixigo Group CEO Aloke Bajpai, Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, Peak XV Managing Director Rajan Anandan, and Partner at leading venture capital firm Accel, Prayank Swaroop.
These interactions underscore the growing importance of India in the global AI ecosystem.
In 2023, Altman's initial visit to India was marked by a controversial statement where he described India's ability to develop foundational models similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT as 'totally hopeless.' He later clarified that he was referring to the challenges of competing with established AI giants on cost-effective foundational models.
This time, his stance has evolved significantly.
Addressing concerns about low-cost foundational models, Altman explained,
Q: What is the current status of AI in India according to Sam Altman?
A: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, now sees India as a strong contender in the AI race, praising the country's growing importance as a market and hub for AI innovation. India is the second-largest market for OpenAI, and the user base has tripled in the past year.
Q: Why did Sam Altman's stance on India's AI potential change?
A: Initially, Altman described India's ability to develop foundational models like ChatGPT as 'totally hopeless.' However, he later clarified that he was referring to the challenges of competing with established AI giants on cost-effective models. His recent visit shows a more optimistic view, recognizing India's progress in AI.
Q: What is 'distillation' in the context of AI models?
A: Distillation is a process in AI where a smaller, more efficient model is trained to replicate the behavior of a larger, more complex model. This makes it more feasible to develop and deploy AI models, despite the high costs associated with training larger models.
Q: What concerns does the Indian finance ministry have regarding AI tools?
A: The Indian finance ministry has directed its officers not to use AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek on office devices due to concerns about confidentiality risks to data and documents.
Q: How does India's IT industry contribute to its AI potential?
A: India's IT industry is a significant contributor to the country's AI potential. The collaboration between the government and private sector leaders, along with the increasing number of AI startups, positions India well to capitalize on the AI revolution.