'India is bigger than US for ChatGPT': OpenAI's Sam Altman says Americans are negative about AI, Indians unusually positive

India has emerged as OpenAI's biggest market in the world by ChatGPT users, surpassing the United States, CEO Sam Altman has said. He also pointed to the growing enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI) in India, contrasting it with what he described as a relatively negative attitude towards AI among Americans. In an interview with Indian podcaster Raj Shamani, Sam Altman spoke about ChatGPT's growing popularity in India and how people are using the technology to build businesses, solve problems and explore new opportunities.

When Shamani asked whether India was bigger than the US for ChatGPT, Altman responded directly: "Yeah. More ChatGPT is just India than the US." He added that India was OpenAI's biggest market by ChatGPT users and was growing very quickly.

The comments underline India's growing importance for OpenAI as the company expands its presence in one of the world's largest internet markets. They also offer a glimpse into the different ways people in India and the US are responding to the rapid adoption of AI tools.

Sam Altman highlights India's growing enthusiasm for AI

Altman said India's growing adoption of ChatGPT was being driven by the energy of people experimenting with the technology and finding practical ways to use it. "There is incredible builder energy of people using it," he said, pointing to how users were deploying ChatGPT to build companies and complete tasks that might otherwise require considerable time and effort.

He also shared an example of a young Indian student who used OpenAI's tools to organise fundraising for his school. According to Altman, the student had never undertaken fundraising before but managed to put together the entire process using the company's tools. "I just heard about some Indian kid that needed to do some fundraising for his school and had never done fundraising before and was able to get the full stack of it done with a set of our tools. And it was awesome," Altman said.

The example, he suggested, reflected how people were finding new applications for AI beyond simply asking questions or generating content.

Why does Sam Altman think Americans are more negative about AI?

While Altman was enthusiastic about India's adoption of ChatGPT, he also made an interesting observation about attitudes towards artificial intelligence in the US. He said Americans appeared to be more sceptical about AI than people in several other parts of the world. "But I do think that the US, at least on expressed preference, is unusually negative on AI relative to the rest of the world," he said.

Altman didn't elaborate on the reasons behind this difference during the conversation. However, his observation highlights an interesting contrast between the enthusiasm he sees among Indian users and the more cautious public sentiment in the US. His qualification about "expressed preference" is important. He was referring to how people express their views about AI, rather than suggesting that Americans are not using the technology.

India becomes an important market for OpenAI

India's large internet user base and growing interest in emerging technologies make it an important market for AI companies. ChatGPT's popularity is also creating opportunities for students, entrepreneurs, professionals and businesses to experiment with tools that can assist with everyday tasks. Altman's comments suggest that Indian users are not limiting their use of ChatGPT to basic conversations. They are increasingly exploring how AI can help them build products, start businesses and complete projects.