Can India ride the AI wave? OpenAI adoption in Indian firms

The Leap You Can't Ignore

Look, OpenAI just hit a milestone that feels more like a work-life change than a headline. It’s boasting over 10 lakh business customers and around 80 crore people using ChatGPT every week. That’s not a neat number on a slide—it's the moment when a tool becomes part of everyday work, not a special project. This is why it’s the fastest-growing business platform in history: almost everyone in your office already recognizes it, so a pilot isn’t needed to prove it works.

So, the speed isn’t just hype. It translates into real, on-the-ground changes: pilots become production, and ROI shows up in weeks, not quarters. Consider Codex usage up 10x, with slashing code review times by about 50%. And we’re not just talking software anymore—multimodal models like the Image Generation API and Sora 2 are letting enterprises stitch AI into workflows, marketplaces, and even big platforms like Shopify and Etsy through the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP). A Wharton study even puts a number on it: 75% of enterprises report a positive ROI from AI deployments. The question isn’t “if” anymore; it’s “how fast.”

India at a Crossroads: Dependence, Sovereignty, and a Plan

Look, India’s 24/7 chat of global tech is a double-edged sword. The country relies heavily on U.S. tech infrastructure—consumer apps, cloud services, chip design—and that creates a quiet hinge point for national strategy. The risk feels real when you think about policy volatility and past moves like GPS data disruption in a tense moment. A full ban on foreign tech seems unlikely because India represents incredibly valuable data and a huge user base. Still, the wake-up call is unmistakable: you don’t want a single policy swing to knock out a giant chunk of daily life and business.

So analysts are talking seriously about a “National Mission for Tech Resilience”—a public-private push to grow indigenous platforms and reduce over-dependence. The aim isn’t to copy another country’s model; it’s to strengthen homegrown systems like UPI and ONDC, while cultivating local tools that fit India’s democracy and privacy norms. The logic is simple: you want digital sovereignty without curling into a surveillance-heavy echo chamber. The longer you wait, the bigger the potential disruption when global tech geopolitics shift.

A New Operating System for Indian Work

Look, the numbers behind India’s digital push aren’t just bragging rights. They’re a signal that the country can ride the AI wave without losing control of its own data and ways of work. Reliance’s Jio platform is at the heart of the bets here, with analysts hinting at a valuation around ₹14 lakh crore or more as 5G, fintech, and e‑commerce converge. That’s not a fairy-table figure; it’s a marker of what a decisive digital backbone can unlock.

Here’s the thing: AI is becoming the operating system for work, especially in a country rapidly expanding its digital economy. If India builds resilience, grows local platforms, and keeps innovation aligned with its values, the coming era could multiply opportunities for every Indian business—from a tiny startup in a tier-2 town to a fintech that serves millions. The question isn’t just about adoption; it’s about who designs the foundations and who controls the future.