OpenAI to distribute 5 lakh ChatGPT licenses in India for students, teachers

The company on August 25 announced Raghav Gupta as its country head for education

OpenAI will hand out 5 lakh ChatGPT licenses to educators and students across India over the next six months, the company announced on August 25.

The licenses will be distributed through the Ministry of Education, All India Council for Technical Education and ARISE network schools.

While the partnership through Ministry of Education will see distribution of these licenses to teachers in government schools teaching classes between 1-12, for AICTE, OpenAI will provide ChatGPT for gaining access to technical institues natuionwide, strengthening digital skills and so on. At ARISE members schools, ChatGPT access will be given for K-12 educators.

The initiative falls under the newly-launched OpenAI Learning Accelerator, an India-first program aimed at making AI a tool for deeper learning rather than shortcuts.

OpenAI has also named Raghav Gupta as Head of Education for India and Asia Pacific. Gupta, former India and APAC managing director at Coursera, will oversee partnerships with schools, universities and government bodies and push for wider adoption of AI in classrooms.

"By working closely with universities, schools, government bodies, and educators, we have an opportunity to truly tarnsform education through AI, driving better learning outcomes, while supporting India's ambitions to be a global leader in AI enabled education," Gupta said.

The company also announced a research collaboration with IIT Madras backed by a $500,000 funding from OpenAI, for conducting long-term studies on AI can improve learning outcomes, methods and so on.

India is already the world’s largest student market for ChatGPT, with millions using it for homework, test prep and project work.

With mass distribution of licenses and a leadership presence on the ground, OpenAI is betting big on making AI central to India’s education system.

These announcements also come on the heels of OpenAI announcing that it will be opening its first India office in NEw Delhi later this year.

IT has also introduced an India-specific subscription tier priced at Rs 399 per month with integrated UPI payments.

The company also partnered with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for the OpenAI Academy, an AI literacy program.