Millions of Indians will soon gain complimentary access to ChatGPT’s new budget-friendly chatbot, “Go,” for one year. The move mirrors recent initiatives by Perplexity AI and Google, which have each struck partnerships with major Indian telecom providers to extend free or subsidized access to their AI systems.
Perplexity has joined forces with Airtel, India’s second-biggest mobile operator, while Google has teamed up with Reliance Jio, the country’s biggest network, to include AI features in select data plans.
Industry experts say the wave of giveaways is less about generosity and more about strategic investment. “The goal is to familiarize Indian users with GenAI before introducing paid versions,” said Tarun Pathak from Counterpoint Research. He added that India’s massive population and youthful demographic make it a prime market for global tech firms seeking scale.
With nearly a billion online users and some of the lowest data costs globally, the country represents fertile ground for companies aiming to test and refine their AI products. Most of India’s online users are under 24, a generation deeply embedded in the digital world through smartphones and social platforms.
Tech companies gain access to an enormous flow of user interactions, which can help refine their algorithms. “India’s diversity and scale mean the AI use cases emerging here will influence global development,” said Pathak. “The more unique data they collect, the smarter their models become.”
However, the flood of free AI services raises privacy and data protection concerns. According to tech commentator Prasanto Roy, most consumers have long traded personal data for convenience and will likely continue to do so. He believes this makes government oversight essential. “Authorities need to establish stronger safeguards to manage how freely people hand over their data,” he said.
India currently lacks a specific law for AI. The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act of 2023 covers privacy and online rights, but its enforcement guidelines are still pending, and it does not yet address AI accountability.
Until then, India’s relatively flexible rules allow companies like Google and OpenAI to experiment with free AI integrations that would be difficult to launch in regions with stricter standards, such as the EU or South Korea, where transparency and consent requirements are far tougher.
For now, global tech firms are betting that these offers will echo India’s earlier digital boom, when low-cost data drew hundreds of millions online. Even if a small fraction of today’s free users eventually pays for premium AI tools, analysts say, the numbers could still be transformative.
The world is like to see more tech companies like Datavault AI Inc. (NASDAQ: DVLT) look to more emerging markets in their bid to expand their footprint around the globe.
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