In a major push to consolidate its presence in the Indian market, OpenAI has announced that it will offer ChatGPT Go free to all users in India starting November 4. For the uninitiated, ChatGPT Go is OpenAI’s mid-tier subscription plan for its AI chatbot ChatGPT. The move targets India, which the company identifies as its second-largest and fastest-growing global market. The year-long complimentary access to ChatGPT Go comes as a direct response to similar aggressive user acquisition tactics by rivals Google and Perplexity. Both companies recently waived fees for their premium AI features to appeal to the vast Indian consumer base. OpenAI’s decision follows Google’s move to make its AI Pro membership, priced at Rs 19,500$, free for students for a year. Similarly, Perplexity partnered with telecom giant Airtel to offer free access to its premium plan, intensifying the battle for AI market share in the country.
ChatGPT Go, which initially launched in India in August at an affordable monthly price of Rs 399, was designed as a bridge between the free tier and the more expensive ChatGPT Plus subscription. The free ChatGPT Go tier will provide Indian users with significant benefits, including: Higher message limits; Increased daily image generation and uploads; Longer memory for more personalized and context-aware responses”.Since launching ChatGPT Go in India a few months ago, the adoption and creativity we’ve seen from users has been inspiring,” said Nick Turley, Vice President and Head of ChatGPT, in a statement. “Ahead of our first DevDay Exchange event in India, we’re making ChatGPT Go freely available for a year to help more people across India access and benefit from advanced AI.”OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman recently highlighted that India is not only OpenAI’s second-largest market but also its fastest-growing. The company noted that since the introduction of the paid ChatGPT Go tier, its overall paid subscriptions in India have more than doubled, underscoring the demand for advanced AI services. The Go plan has since expanded its reach to nearly 90 markets worldwide.
