---

OpenAI CEO Clarifies Previous Remarks on AI Development in India

In a recent conversation with IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shed light on his previous remarks concerning the feasibility of Indian firms competing with the United States in the development of foundational Artificial Intelligence (AI) models. Altman's initial comments were made in 2022 and had sparked controversy in light of China's DeepSeek achieving a breakthrough in AI technology at a lower cost.

The Context of the Conversation

Altman addressed the misinterpretation of his earlier statement and expressed OpenAI's enthusiasm for expanding its presence in India. He acknowledged the existence of smaller, less expensive language models and recognized the significant reductions in costs associated with training AI models. Despite these advancements, Altman conceded,

"It's still expensive to train advanced AI models."

Furthermore, Altman emphasized the exponential relationship between the economic and scientific value generated by AI models,

"The cost of one 'unit of intelligence' is falling tenfold annually."

Encouraging Indian Entrepreneurs

The Indian IT Minister, Mr. Vaishnaw, highlighted the country's success in launching the Chandrayaan Mission at a low cost. Moreover, he expressed optimism regarding the creation of data sets specifically tailored for training AI models in the Indian context, capturing the nuances of the local language and culture.

Vaishnaw commented,

"Our young entrepreneurs and our startups are really, really focused on getting that next level of cost reduction."

Deep Research and AI Efficiency

The discussion also touched upon OpenAI's new deep research model and its potential for revolutionizing research fields. Altman envisioned the model making intellectually demanding work more efficient by automating low-value tasks such as literature reviews and equipment ordering instructions. He elaborated,

"If you are a scientist trying to cure some disease, deep research is surely not going to cure that disease on its own. But if you can farm out the tasks that took you a lot of time but were lower value, maybe you can be twice as efficient."

Altman's clarification of his earlier statement and the insight he provided on cost reductions, deep research models, and the importance of Indian entrepreneurs signal a promising future for AI development in India.

---

Last updated on March 15, 2025