OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made headlines on Wednesday as he revealed India is on track to become the company’s largest global market, surpassing even the United States. Speaking during a media briefing, Altman praised India’s rapid AI adoption, calling it “remarkable” and “incredibly fast-growing,” while unveiling OpenAI’s much-anticipated next-generation model — GPT-5. The new model, which is now available to users for free, marks what Altman described as a “significant step” toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). The rollout began on August 7 for free, Plus, and Pro users, with Enterprise and Education customers set to gain access next week.
Altman noted that India’s enthusiastic embrace of artificial intelligence is unmatched, making it a critical focus for OpenAI’s expansion plans. “India is our second-largest market in the world after the US, and it may well become our largest market,” he said, highlighting not only user adoption but also the creative and impactful ways Indian citizens and businesses are leveraging AI. “We’re especially focused on bringing products to India, working with local partners to make AI work great for India and make it more affordable for people across the country,” Altman added, confirming he will visit India in September to reinforce OpenAI’s local strategy.
With the official launch of GPT-5, OpenAI introduced what it calls its “best model yet for coding and agentic tasks.” The model is available in three variants on the API — gpt-5, gpt-5-mini, and gpt-5-nano — giving developers options to balance performance, cost, and latency. Unlike the ChatGPT system, which blends reasoning and non-reasoning models, the API version of GPT-5 focuses purely on high-performance reasoning, ideal for expert-level applications. Altman emphasized the leap in capability: “GPT-5 is really the first time that I think one of our mainline models has felt like you can ask a legitimate expert, like a PhD-level expert, anything. We wanted to simplify it and make it accessible. We wanted to make it available in our free tier for the first time.”
Also Read: Uttarkashi Flash Floods: Rescue Intensifies, 6 More Pilgrims Saved
The model’s multilingual capabilities have also received a massive boost. Nick Turley, Head of ChatGPT, highlighted that GPT-5 now delivers vastly improved understanding across more than a dozen Indian languages, opening the door for deeper engagement in India’s diverse linguistic landscape. “GPT-5 significantly improves multilingual understanding across over 12 Indian languages, including regional languages. So that's really exciting because as Sam mentioned, India is a priority market for us,” Turley stated.
As the GPT-5 rollout gathers momentum, India is no longer just a major AI consumer — it's emerging as a global AI powerhouse. With OpenAI's expanded access, improved local language support, and Altman's strategic pivot toward India, the country may soon find itself at the center of the AI revolution.
Also Read: Pakistan’s Haider Ali Suspended Amid UK Rape Probe