NEW DELHI: On the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit, OpenAI announced partnerships with six Indian universities and three edtech firms, marking a shift from individual AI use to institution-led adoption.
The tie-ups include IIM Ahmedabad, AIIMS Delhi, IIT Delhi, Manipal University, UPES and Pearl Academy, along with PhysicsWallah, UpGrad and GUVI. OpenAI will deploy nearly one lakh seats of ChatGPT Edu across campuses. In an interview, Raghav Gupta Head of Education, OpenAI (India & Asia-Pacific), explains the thinking behind the move.
Why is OpenAI focusing on campuses rather than individual users in India?Until now, many people used ChatGPT on their own. That creates awareness, but impact is limited. Institutions help scale impact. By deploying ChatGPT Edu across campuses like IIM Ahmedabad, IIT Delhi and AIIMS Delhi, we are helping universities become AI-native. AI in India is no longer just about students experimenting alone — it’s about universities changing how they teach, research and operate.
What does ChatGPT Edu bring to these institutions?
We are deploying close to one lakh seats across students, faculty and staff. ChatGPT Edu offers our advanced models with higher safety and privacy. But access alone isn’t enough. Training and enablement are critical because many people don’t get full value from AI. Faculty can save time on administrative tasks, research workflows can improve, and students become better prepared for industry.
Some major public universities are missing from the first list?We spoke to many institutions, public and private. Some were ready to move quickly, others wanted more time. For this first cohort, readiness and willingness mattered more than reputation. This is a starting point. India has over 1,200 universities, and we hope to work with hundreds of them over time.
Why partner edtech firms alongside universities?
Universities don’t reach everyone. With PhysicsWallah, we are targeting JEE and entrance exam aspirants in Hindi and English. UpGrad is focusing on early-career professionals and AI coding skills, including Codex. GUVI helps us reach learners in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Marathi. If AI literacy has to scale in India, it must go beyond elite campuses and English-only learning.
Why is education such a big priority for OpenAI in India?Learning is the number one global use case of ChatGPT, and India has the largest student base on the platform. But AI should not become a shortcut. Giving AI without guidance is like giving a calculator before teaching multiplication. Institutions play a key role in showing how — and how not — to use AI.
You recently judged a hackathon with students from smaller cities. What did that show you?
Seventy thousand students from tier-2 and tier-3 cities participated. Many were not from computer science backgrounds. They built AI solutions for veterinary services, water management and road safety. It shows India is not just consuming AI, but creating real-world applications.
Where does India fit in the global AI race?
India’s strength lies in applying technology at scale. Just as we built population-scale systems like UPI and DigiLocker, India will shape AI at the application layer, solving real problems for societ>
