New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) – OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is expected to visit India on February 5, where he will engage in high-level discussions with government officials and participate in an industry fireside chat, sources revealed on Monday. This will be Altman’s second visit to the country in two years, marking a crucial moment in the evolving artificial intelligence (AI) landscape.
Altman’s visit comes at a time when OpenAI’s dominance in the AI sector is facing a fresh challenge from Chinese startup Deepseek. The company’s AI model, R1, built at an astonishingly low cost of under USD 6 million, has gained significant attention for its efficiency, using far less computing power compared to industry leaders like ChatGPT. Deepseek recently surpassed ChatGPT as the top free app on Apple’s App Store, shaking up the global AI race.
The rapid rise of Deepseek has also had financial repercussions. Last Monday, Nvidia, the AI chipmaking giant, suffered a historic single-day market loss of USD 590 billion, the largest value drop of any company in history.
Key Meetings and Industry Insights
During his visit, Altman is scheduled to attend a fireside chat in New Delhi and meet with top government officials. However, specific details about these engagements remain undisclosed.Altman’s trip has also sparked renewed interest in a 2023 video where he expressed skepticism about powerful AI models emerging outside the United States. This resurfaced video has reignited debates about the global AI power balance, especially as nations outside the US, including China and India, accelerate their AI development efforts.
Global AI Investments and India’s Strategic Push
Amid growing AI competition, the United States has reinforced its commitment to AI leadership. Last month, former US President Donald Trump announced a USD 500 billion private-sector investment to boost AI infrastructure. A new AI company, Stargate, is being developed in collaboration with Oracle, SoftBank, and OpenAI-backed Microsoft, further strengthening the US’s foothold in AI.Meanwhile, Japan’s SoftBank and OpenAI have also deepened their collaboration, forming a 50:50 joint venture named SB OpenAI Japan to expand AI capabilities.
Altman’s visit also coincides with legal challenges OpenAI faces in India, particularly concerning allegations of copyright breaches. The company has maintained that it only utilizes publicly available data and has argued that Indian courts lack jurisdiction in the matter.
India’s AI Ambitions: A New Contender in the Global AI Race
As AI dominance shifts globally, India is making strides to establish its own AI leadership. The government recently unveiled ambitious plans to develop an indigenous ‘foundational AI model’ to rival ChatGPT and Deepseek R1. The initiative will be supported by a state-backed compute facility powered by 18,693 GPUs, aimed at empowering startups and researchers to develop cutting-edge AI applications.Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that India’s AI model would be a cost-effective and secure alternative, priced at less than Rs 100 per hour (USD 1.16 per hour) after a 40% government subsidy—a stark contrast to global AI models that cost USD 2.5–3 per hour.
Vaishnaw expressed confidence that India’s AI initiative would be world-class and capable of competing on a global scale, reinforcing India’s commitment to digital self-reliance.
As Altman arrives in India, discussions around AI regulations, innovation, and investment are expected to take center stage, further shaping the country’s AI trajectory in the coming years.
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