India’s digital destiny is no longer on the horizon—it has arrived. According to the latest AI Trends Report by Mary Meeker, India has officially surpassed the United States to become the largest user base of ChatGPT, accounting for 13.5% of global monthly active users. From bustling metros to remote towns, Indians are integrating generative AI into daily workflows, learning routines, and creative endeavours at a scale no other nation currently matches. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, was quick to applaud this milestone, calling India’s adoption of AI “faster than anywhere else.”
With a staggering 950 million internet users and over 1.2 billion smartphones in circulation, the world’s most populous country has built a fertile digital ground for AI to flourish. Add to this the world’s cheapest mobile data—12 cents per gigabyte—and the result is a nation ready to lead, not follow, the AI revolution.
The Age of Creativity and Code
India’s ChatGPT usage surge isn’t limited to text prompts or homework help. GPT-4’s multimodal capabilities, particularly native image generation, triggered massive waves of creative expression during trends like the “Studio Ghibli” AI art movement. Indian users led the way, churning out whimsical images, using AI as both brush and canvas. In the process, they redefined what digital creativity means for an emerging economy.
The spike in demand has led OpenAI to explore building a local data center in India by 2025. This move would not only reduce latency for Indian users but also allow Indian organizations, especially those using ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu, to store data locally. It’s a strategic alignment that reflects India’s importance on OpenAI’s global roadmap.
Why India Matters to the AI World
India’s prominence in ChatGPT usage is a sign of the changing times. The country is rapidly evolving from a consumer of foreign technologies to a co-creator in the global AI ecosystem. During a recent fireside chat with IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Altman emphasized that India has “tripled” its user base over the last year. He lauded India’s ambition to build a full-stack AI infrastructure—from indigenous chips and foundational models to consumer applications.
While OpenAI continues expanding its influence through cloud partnerships (primarily Microsoft Azure), the push for local data storage signals a deeper commitment to regional relevance. India’s own government, too, isn’t sitting idle. Through the IndiaAI Mission, strategic investments are being channeled into training foundational models that reflect Indian linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity—something foreign models often miss.
Screen Time, Smartphone Nation
An equally powerful factor behind India’s AI adoption is its phone culture. According to EY, Indians now spend an average of five hours daily on smartphones—mostly on video streaming, social media, and gaming. Digital media has overtaken television for the first time in India’s entertainment landscape, marking a pivotal shift in consumption habits.
This screen time has become fertile ground for AI-powered experiences. Be it students experimenting with AI tutors, professionals using AI co-pilots, or influencers creating AI-enhanced content, ChatGPT is seamlessly integrating into the Indian digital routine. And while India ranks third globally in daily screen time behind Indonesia and Brazil, the sheer scale—1.1 trillion hours spent online in 2024—makes it the largest digital market on Earth.
The Next Decade Is India’s to Shape
With tech giants like Meta, Amazon, and Tesla’s Elon Musk eyeing India’s digital growth, and local conglomerates like Reliance already expanding their AI footprints, the competition for India’s attention and data is intensifying. But India has more leverage now than ever before.
The rise of AI isn’t just a Western phenomenon. It’s increasingly multilingual, multicultural, and multipolar. India’s proactive embrace of ChatGPT, paired with efforts to build domestic AI capacity, positions the country as a central force in shaping how AI serves billions.
In Sam Altman’s words, “India is an incredibly important market for AI.” The challenge now is ensuring this momentum translates into equitable innovation, inclusive access, and world-class AI talent grown on Indian soil. The world is watching and learning from India.
