GPT-5 launch: OpenAI CEO says Indian users ‘quite remarkable’, poised to become largest ChatGPT market

New Delhi: India is set to overtake the United States as the largest market for ChatGPT, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said during the global launch of GPT‑5, the company’s most advanced artificial intelligence model to date.

Speaking at the launch event, Altman remarked, “India is our second-largest market in the world after the US, and it may well become our largest market... it’s incredibly fast-growing.”

He praised the country’s rapidly evolving AI landscape, stating, “What users are doing with AI, what citizens of India are doing with AI, is really quite remarkable.”

Technical advancements and local language support

GPT‑5 introduces significant technical upgrades over its predecessor, GPT‑4. These include improved reasoning capabilities, better accuracy, faster response times, enhanced mathematical abilities, and broader multilingual support.

A notable feature of GPT‑5 is its ability to understand and generate content in 50 languages, including 12 Indian languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Malayalam, Bengali, Urdu, Kannada, Punjabi, Odia, and Assamese. This localisation aims to make AI tools more accessible and useful to users across India.

According to media reports, Altman said, “We are excited about what Indian users are doing with AI – from students using it to learn more efficiently, to developers building tools for local use cases, to businesses embedding it in their operations.”

Expanded access across subscription plans

The GPT‑5 model is now available to users on all tiers of ChatGPT, including the free tier, albeit with usage limits. The free version provides access to GPT‑4‑turbo, a faster and cheaper variant of GPT‑4. Meanwhile, the GPT‑5 model is offered under the ChatGPT Plus plan, priced at $20 per month (approximately ₹1,650), and to enterprise and team users.

GPT‑4‑turbo is optimised for cost-efficiency and performance, and is now the default for most users. It can handle longer prompts and more complex tasks with improved speed and affordability.

In addition to ChatGPT, GPT‑5 is also being integrated across OpenAI’s developer platforms and API services, allowing startups and businesses in India and abroad to leverage the model’s capabilities for custom applications.

India’s role in OpenAI’s global strategy

During the launch, Altman acknowledged India’s critical role in shaping OpenAI’s growth strategy. He reportedly also said that Indian users are “incredible in the way they are integrating AI into their lives, as well as businesses,” and confirmed that OpenAI is “working with local partners to make AI work-ready for everyone.”

OpenAI’s increasing focus on India comes amid a surge in AI adoption across the country, especially among students, entrepreneurs, developers, and small and medium-sized enterprises seeking productivity and automation tools.