OpenAI’s Global Chief Strategy Officer, Jason Kwon, has highlighted India’s growing importance in the global AI landscape during the launch of the OpenAI Academy in partnership with the IndiaAI Mission under the IT Ministry.
India, currently boasting the world’s second largest number of ChatGPT users, has shown rapid growth in AI engagement, expanding over threefold year-on-year. Kwon commended India’s pioneering role in developer talent and expressed strong confidence that the country is set to emerge as a global frontrunner in AI expertise.
The OpenAI Academy India, marking OpenAI’s first international expansion of its education platform, aims to enhance AI literacy and skills by helping people learn how to use and build with AI. This initiative targets India’s vibrant developer community, startups, and innovators, leveraging the nation’s digital infrastructure.
Kwon emphasized OpenAI’s intent to forge partnerships with both government and private sector players to strengthen India’s AI infrastructure, including potential local data center development to comply with data sovereignty requirements. The company supports the IndiaAI Mission’s efforts to build indigenous AI foundation models, recognizing India’s strong technical capabilities and strategic plans to boost computing resources.
OpenAI is also actively investing in India through grants to philanthropic organizations, accelerator programs for social impact, and feature development tailored for the local market. Kwon noted that India’s proven strength in application development will play a critical role in AI innovation, with many Indian developers already building on OpenAI’s models.
Looking ahead, OpenAI aims to contribute to India’s vision of AI that is “for India, by India, and of India,” with hopes to nurture and harness India’s abundant technical talent to shape the country’s AI and software future.
