India holds huge AI potential, says OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called India an incredible AI market. He noted that Indian users of OpenAI tripled in the past year. Speaking to Hindustan Times Editor-in-Chief R. Sukumar, he discussed AI’s growth, DeepResearch, and India’s role in AI development.
Altman previously suggested India should avoid building its own frontier AI models due to high costs. However, he now believes costs have dropped, making such projects more viable. He praised India’s AI progress and expressed excitement about future collaborations.
When asked about OpenAI’s infrastructure plans for India, Altman remained non-committal. He hinted at upcoming announcements but provided no details.
Discussing DeepResearch, Altman compared its impact to ChatGPT’s launch. He highlighted the rapid advancements in AI cost efficiency. While Moore’s Law doubles processing power every 18 months, AI costs drop tenfold annually. He emphasized that this shift will reshape AI development.
On China’s AI progress, Altman dismissed claims that DeepSeek trained a model at lower costs. He insisted that OpenAI remains focused on creating superior models.
Addressing AI’s resource demands, Altman acknowledged that cutting-edge models require heavy infrastructure. However, he noted recent breakthroughs in smaller, powerful models, suggesting future AI systems may run efficiently on phones.
Altman recognized OpenAI’s responsibility as an industry leader. He stressed the need for transparency and collaboration with society to mitigate AI’s economic and ethical impacts. He urged global cooperation rather than national competition in AI advancements.
On India’s AI approach, Altman advised a full-stack strategy despite high costs. He noted India’s strength in building smart models on existing frameworks but encouraged deeper AI investments.
Altman shared a personal story about AI’s impact. A researcher using DeepResearch for cancer studies found better answers than a private research team. This, he said, highlights AI’s transformative potential.
Regarding US policy, Altman acknowledged AI’s geopolitical significance. He stressed OpenAI’s mission to ensure artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits humanity, transcending national borders.
When asked about AGI’s progress, Altman confirmed significant advancements. He also emphasized improvements in AI safety and policy compliance, though challenges remain.
Altman praised AI’s role in healthcare. He cited a study where AI improved breast cancer diagnoses by 29% without false positives. He questioned how much better AI must perform before society fully trusts it in fields like medicine and self-driving technology.
He concluded by emphasizing AI’s rapid evolution. As costs drop and capabilities grow, he expects AI to become even more integral to daily life.
