OpenAI to give free 1-year ChatGPT Go subscription to India users amid big push

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OpenAI announced on October 28 that it will offer a one-year free subscription to its entry-level tier, ChatGPT Go, for all users in India starting November 4, as part of its efforts to drive adoption in the world’s second-largest internet market. The offer will be available for a limited promotional period.

The launch is expected to coincide with OpenAI’s DevDay Exchange, the company’s first event focused on the country’s developer community, scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on November 4.

ChatGPT Go, priced at Rs 399 per month, was first launched by OpenAI in August to provide more affordable access to ChatGPT's advanced features.

It offers subscribers higher message limits, more image generations per day, additional file and image uploads, and longer memory for more personalised responses.

OpenAI said that existing ChatGPT Go subscribers in India will also be eligible for the free 12-month promotion, with more details expected to be announced later.

Read: OpenAI's ChatGPT pilots rupee pricing in India

OpenAI said that the number of paid ChatGPT subscribers in India more than doubled in the first month since its launch but didn't provide any specific details. The firm has since expanded ChatGPT Go to nearly 90 markets worldwide.

"Since initially launching ChatGPT Go in India a few months ago, the adoption and creativity we've seen from our users has been inspiring," said Nick Turley, Vice President and Head of ChatGPT.

Turley added that OpenAI is making ChatGPT Go freely available for a year to "help more people across India easily access and benefit from advanced AI. We're excited to see the amazing things our users will build, learn, and achieve with these tools."

Read: India can be a shining example of delivering AI at scale, working on improving capabilities for Hindi and Tamil: OpenAI's Srinivas Narayanan

These moves come as OpenAI ramps up its presence in India, which has emerged as one of its fastest-growing markets and is now the second-largest market for its AI assistant, ChatGPT, which has over 800 million users globally.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said that India could soon become ChatGPT’s largest market. The new promotion is expected to further accelerate adoption in the country.

The AI research and deployment company stated that it is also partnering closely with civil society organisations, educational platforms, and government-led initiatives under the India AI mission to broaden access to AI tools. The collaborations will focus on building local capacity and promoting inclusive innovation across the country, it said.

OpenAI also announced in August that it will be opening its first India office in New Delhi later this year.

That said, competition is heating up in the space as rivals such as Google and Perplexity too are focusing on driving adoption to their respective products in India.

Perplexity is offering a one-year free subscription to its premium tier, Perplexity Pro, to all 360 million customers of the telecom operator Bharti Airtel. Google also recently provided a one-year free subscription to its premium AI tools to college students in India.