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For several years, U.S.-based tech companies have targeted India’s vast and increasing internet users for growth. OpenAI isn’t an exception. AI Lab recently approved the growth of ChatGPT in India. However, third-party data suggests OpenAI may struggle to turn that momentum into revenue.
According to analytics firm Sensor Tower, users in India spent $8 million on ChatGPT subscriptions through in-app purchases in 2023. That doesn’t include purchases made through the ChatGPT web app. Notably, it’s a fraction of the $330 million Sensor Tower estimates U.S. users have spent on ChatGPT in-app.
One likely factor is India’s lack of local pricing. OpenAI’s cheapest ChatGPT plan in the country costs $20 (more than ₹1,700) monthly. Techpolyp considers this an expensive plan for a digital subscription in India, which might affect ChatGPT’s growth.
When contacted, OpenAI did not share specific details about its ChatGPT growth in India. However, the company pointed us to a recent tweet on X by COO Brad Lightcap. The post claims that India is ChatGPT’s fastest-growing market.
The revenue seems low, but India may become a significant growth driver for OpenAI. The company’s CEO, Sam Altman, recently wanted OpenAI to become a multi-billion-user platform. Tapping into India’s over 950 million internet users could help bootstrap that effort.
OpenAI believes so. The company is reportedly in an alliance with Reliance Jio. Interestingly, Reliance Jio is one of India’s biggest mobile carriers, and it is used to get ChatGPT in front of more users.
In the meantime, ChatGPT in India has been growing exponentially, notwithstanding the fact that pro subscribers lose money due to high demand.
According to data from app tracker Appfigures, more than 20% of ChatGPT Android app downloads this year have been in India. At least some of the ChatGPT growth in India was fueled by the recently released revamped image generator in ChatGPT. This went viral because of its ability to create realistic Ghibli-style art.
For context, ChatGPT has more than 500 million weekly users globally.
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GPT-4o Image Generation Update Brings New Editing Features to ChatGPT
