OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has praised India’s accelerating adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), describing the country as a global leader in both creative application and technological ambition. During a virtual keynote address at the India Future Tech Forum 2025, Altman highlighted the nation's "remarkable momentum" in building real-world AI solutions that address local and global challenges.

“Innovation in India is not just catching up—it’s setting the pace in several key areas of AI development,” Altman said. “From education and healthcare to logistics and language technologies, India is proving how AI can be deployed with creativity and purpose.”

India’s AI Ecosystem on the Rise

Altman commended India's growing community of AI startups, research institutions, and government-backed initiatives that are laying the groundwork for a robust digital future. He noted that India's combination of young talent, tech-savvy entrepreneurs, and a rapidly digitizing economy makes it a fertile ground for next-generation AI innovation.

“Indian developers are building tools that are not only technically impressive but also deeply human-centric,” Altman added, pointing to recent breakthroughs in AI-powered language translation, voice recognition in regional dialects, and education platforms leveraging GPT-like models for remote learning.

Government Support and Public Impact

India’s National AI Mission and various state-level digital transformation programs have also drawn international attention. Altman emphasized the importance of government involvement in making AI accessible and ethical, praising India's efforts to promote responsible AI development through open-source collaboration and policy frameworks.

“India’s approach to democratizing AI—ensuring it reaches rural areas, underrepresented communities, and small businesses—is something the world can learn from,” he said.

Collaboration with Indian Developers

OpenAI, which has seen strong uptake of its models in India, is exploring deeper collaboration with Indian universities, AI startups, and language researchers. Altman noted that GPT-based applications developed in India—ranging from legal aid chatbots to agriculture assistants—are already being recognized globally for their ingenuity.

He also hinted at potential OpenAI partnerships with Indian organizations to work on multilingual AI models that better understand the country’s linguistic diversity. “India is an ideal testbed for scaling large language models in multilingual, multicultural contexts,” Altman remarked.

A Vision for Inclusive AI

Altman concluded his address by reiterating the need for global cooperation in shaping the future of AI. “The next chapter of AI won’t be written in just one country. It will be a global effort—and India is central to that story.”

As AI continues to evolve at a rapid pace, industry watchers say India's role is becoming increasingly vital—not only as a market but as a source of innovation that reflects the values of inclusion, diversity, and practicality.