'India is now our fastest-growing market', says OpenAI COO on ChatGPT boom

A day after OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman called India's AI adoption 'amazing', OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap shared on X that India is now the fastest-growing ChatGPT market

OpenAI’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Brad Lightcap, described the past week as an intense period for image generation within ChatGPT. He revealed that since last Tuesday, users have created over 700 million images on the platform, with 130 million people engaging with the feature. Lightcap also emphasised India’s significant role in this trend, noting that it is the company’s fastest-growing market for ChatGPT. “The range of visual creativity has been extremely inspiring,” he said.  

 

In a post on social media platform X, Lightcap said, “Very crazy first week for images in ChatGPT - over 130M users have generated 700M+ (!) images since last Tuesday. India is now our fastest growing Chatgpt market. The range of visual creativity has been extremely inspiring. We appreciate your patience as we try to serve everyone, and the team continues to work around the clock.”

 

very crazy first week for images in chatgpt - over 130M users have generated 700M+ (!) images since last tuesday  India is now our fastest growing chatgpt market ????????????  the range of visual creativity has been extremely inspiring  we appreciate your patience as we try to serve…

— Brad Lightcap (@bradlightcap) April 3, 2025

‘India outpacing the world’, says Altman

His remarks follow a post by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on X, where he expressed amazement at India’s rapid adoption of AI. “India is outpacing the world,” Altman stated, calling the country's AI engagement “amazing”. To further connect with Indian users, he shared an AI-generated anime-style image of himself as a cricket player donning the Team India jersey, leveraging the sport’s deep-rooted popularity in the country.  

ChatGPT’s viral Ghibli moment

Last week, OpenAI introduced native image generation in GPT-4o, enabling ChatGPT to create images directly using its core model rather than relying on external tools like DALL-E 3. This advancement allows ChatGPT to incorporate its extensive textual knowledge — including real-world context — into image creation, resulting in more nuanced and contextually aware visuals.  

 

In its launch blog, OpenAI showcased various applications for this new feature, such as generating infographics, photorealistic depictions of historical figures, transforming sketches into detailed images, designing posters, and even creating full PowerPoint slides. However, what truly captured users’ attention was ChatGPT’s ability to reimagine real-world photos in the iconic animation style of Studio Ghibli. This unique capability quickly became a viral sensation, sparking widespread engagement across social media.