Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI), praised India’s progress in the AI sector. He emphasized that India should actively participate in all stages of AI development, from creation to deployment. Currently, Altman is on a tour of several Asia-Pacific countries. He recently attended a developer program in Delhi, where he discussed India’s role in AI innovation. Reports suggest that Altman may meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India: OpenAI’s Second Largest Market

Altman highlighted that India is the second-largest market for OpenAI globally. He urged India to build a complete AI stack, covering the entire AI development process. His visit comes at a time when Chinese AI startup “DeepSeek” is gaining attention by creating low-cost models at just $600,000. OpenAI aims to strengthen its presence in major markets like India in response to growing competition.

Meeting with PM Modi

According to reports, Altman is likely to meet PM Modi on Wednesday. The discussion will likely focus on India’s AI development, OpenAI’s expansion, and the government’s AI mission. At the recent developer event, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted India’s efforts to make AI accessible to everyone through the “IndiaAI Mission.”

Clarification on Previous Statement

Altman clarified a controversial statement he made in 2023, where he mentioned that building foundational models like ChatGPT in India might be unrealistic. This comment received criticism. He now explained that training such AI models is expensive, and OpenAI is still working on improving model efficiency.

Future of AI and India’s Role

Altman noted that the cost of AI intelligence is decreasing rapidly, but demand for AI hardware will continue to grow. Regarding healthcare, he said AI models can assist in treatments but cannot independently cure diseases like cancer. However, advancements in AI may lead to better solutions in the future.