Indian startup leaders have called on OpenAI to introduce India-specific pricing for its AI models. They have emphasized the need for affordability to drive wider adoption in a closed-door meeting with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other top executives.
Altman as well as OpenAI Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil and Vice President of Engineering Srinivas Narayanan met with prominent Indian startup founders, venture capitalists and developers to discuss the impact of AI in India. Among those present were Aloke Bajpai (Ixigo), Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Paytm), Kunal Bahl (Snapdeal), Raghav Verma (Chaayos), Gaurav Munjal (Unacademy) and Aakrit Vaish (Haptik). They were joined by Rajan Anandan of Peak XV and filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.
One key concern raised was the need for localized pricing that is similar to how companies like Google and Microsoft have adjusted their rates for different markets. Many attendees stressed that the current global pricing of OpenAI does not align with the financial realities of Indian businesses and developers. Kunal Bahl noted on X that OpenAI executives acknowledged the issue and hinted at possible updates in the future.
The discussion also focused on improving AI support for Indian languages. OpenAI executives showcased the way their latest models have made significant advancements in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu, Punjabi, Malayalam and other regional languages.
Startup founders also shared insights into how they are using the OpenAI technology and the hurdles being faced. Aloke Bajpai described the meeting as an open and engaging conversation equipped with OpenAI leaders who are eager to understand the needs of Indian market.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma of Paytm summed up the challenge by emphasizing that the question is not just about building AI models but it is making them accessible to a billion people.
