Democratising AI needs India's participation, says OpenAI's Chris Lehane

OpenAI's global affairs chief says India's scale, language diversity and fast-growing user base make it central to building inclusive AI governance and ensuring widespread benefits

The global conversation on democratising access to artificial intelligence (AI) — so that as many people as possible can participate and benefit — is incomplete unless countries like India are part of it, Chris Lehane, chief global affairs officer at OpenAI, told Business Standard.

 

“We have 100 million regular users in India, of whom 30 million are students. It is also our fastest-growing market for Codex and among the top five for our science tool. This is a technology that will particularly benefit those who want to take agency over it,” Lehane said, speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

 

 

The total number of Codex users in India has quadrupled over the past fortnight since an updated version of the application was launched, he added.

 

As countries in the Global South consider framing AI governance architectures, it is important to remember that AI is a general-purpose technology — akin to the steam engine or the printing press — and that regulations should reflect that, Lehane said.

 

“If countries such as India are to achieve AI diffusion at scale, they will need governance models that ensure access to the technology for everyone,” he noted.

 

“We will certainly operate within India’s existing regulatory frameworks. But we will also advocate for policy approaches that are consistent with our mission: to democratise access to AI,” Lehane added.

 

These governance rules should also consider AI’s ‘nation-building’ potential to ensure its benefits reach as many people as possible, he said.

 

In countries like India, where digital maturity is still developing, and many users interact with platforms like ChatGPT in their native languages, OpenAI is ensuring coverage of all 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Of these, ChatGPT performs very well in at least a dozen, Lehane said.

 

For OpenAI to succeed in India, the company must ensure that citizens benefit from productivity gains and emerging opportunities, he stressed.

 

To support new users — many of whom are young and less digitally literate — OpenAI will work with the Indian government to understand the policy directions they want to pursue for AI and other emerging technologies, he added.

 

Having access to local data, Lehane said, will put OpenAI in the strongest position to address challenges as newer users come on board.