In a landmark address at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared that India is no longer just a participant in the global technology race but is actively leading the artificial intelligence revolution. Speaking on February 19, 2026, Altman highlighted that India has emerged as one of the largest and most influential markets for AI, driven by a unique combination of homegrown talent, rapid adoption rates, and a robust national digital strategy.
Leading the World in AI Adoption
Altman’s visit to New Delhi follows a year of unprecedented growth for OpenAI in the region. He revealed that India now hosts the company’s second-largest user base globally, with over 100 million people using ChatGPT every week. Remarkably, more than one-third of these users are students, signaling a deep-rooted integration of AI into India’s future workforce.
The OpenAI chief noted that India is currently the fastest-growing market for OpenAI Codex, the company’s specialized AI coding agent. This trend suggests that India’s developer ecosystem is rapidly evolving into an “AI-native” powerhouse, moving away from traditional services toward high-value, automated software development. “India is well-positioned not just to build AI, but to shape it and decide what our future is going to look like,” Altman stated during the summit.
The Evolution of the Job Market: Disruption and Adaptation
Addressing the persistent anxieties surrounding automation and job security, Altman was candid but optimistic. He acknowledged that AI will “definitely impact the job market” as the technology becomes capable of performing tasks that drive today’s economy. However, he contextualized this shift by looking at the long arc of human history.
Altman argued that while specific roles—particularly those involving repetitive or data-driven tasks—will be disrupted, human adaptability will lead to the creation of “better and more meaningful” jobs. He drew a parallel to the past, suggesting that workers from 500 years ago would find our modern occupations “silly” or unrecognizable, just as future generations will view our current labor. “We always find new things to do, and I have no doubt we will find lots of better ones this time,” he remarked.
Strategic Infrastructure and Sovereign AI
The summit also served as a platform for major industrial announcements. In a move to strengthen India’s “sovereign AI” capabilities, OpenAI announced a multi-dimensional strategic partnership with the Tata Group. As part of OpenAI’s global “Stargate” initiative, the two entities will collaborate on building AI-ready data center capacity in India, starting with an initial 100-megawatt deployment through Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
This infrastructure is designed to ensure data residency and security, allowing India’s most sensitive mission-critical and government workloads to run locally with low latency. Furthermore, OpenAI announced the opening of two new offices in Bengaluru and Mumbai by late 2026, complementing its existing New Delhi hub and solidifying its permanent footprint in the subcontinent.
A Vision for Superintelligence and Democracy
Looking ahead, Altman offered a striking prediction: the world may be only a couple of years away from early versions of true “superintelligence.” He suggested that by the end of 2028, a majority of the world’s intellectual capacity could reside within data centers rather than outside of them.
Given this rapid trajectory, Altman emphasized the urgent need for a global regulatory body—similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)—to coordinate AI safeguards. He argued that the “democratization of AI” is the only fair path forward, warning that the centralization of such powerful technology within a single company or country could lead to global instability. By empowering its vast population with AI tools, Altman believes India will play a decisive role in ensuring this technology serves the welfare of all humanity.
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