OpenAI To Expand In India With First Office And Hiring Drive

OpenAI is set to open a corporate office in the Indian capital of New Delhi in a few months, establishing a formal presence in a key growth market.

The company, known for its artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, has begun hiring to expand its local team, it said in a statement Friday. OpenAI currently has only one employee in India — Pragya Misra, who leads public policy and partnerships in the country after joining the firm last year.

A bigger presence and more staff on ground will help OpenAI ramp up partnerships with the government, businesses and developers in the country of 1.4 billion people known for its tech talent. The company has committed to work with the federal government in its $1.2 billion IndiaAI Mission that seeks to build large and small language models for the region.

The expansion also underscores OpenAI’s effort to help shape early regulations in a technology that’s rapidly changing. The world’s most populous country is a massive opportunity for global tech companies, but also a market that’s sometimes proven difficult for them to navigate.

India is ChatGPT’s second-largest market by users, and the company this week launched a more affordable monthly plan at below $5 to woo customers. It also offers a basic free plan and other premium paid subscriptions.

OpenAI said it plans to host its first developer day in India later this year.