OpenAI says 18- to 24-year-olds account for nearly 50% of ChatGPT usage in India

When OpenAI’s chief economist Ronnie Chatterji took the stage at India’s AI Impact Summit this week, he brought with him a statistic that would make any product manager envious: nearly half of all ChatGPT messages in India come from users between 18 and 24 years old. In a market where companies spend billions trying to capture the attention of Gen Z, OpenAI seems to have cracked the code—almost by accident.

“AI adoption is moving faster than our ability to measure it – and that’s a challenge for anyone trying to make smart decisions. Signals is our way of putting real-world evidence on the table, so India’s AI debate can be grounded in facts, not hype.” — Ronnie Chatterji, OpenAI Chief Economist

The Youth Phenomenon

The numbers tell a striking story. Users under 30 account for 80% of ChatGPT activity in India, making it one of the most youth-centric AI markets in the world. This isn’t just about casual use—these young Indians are putting the tool to work. According to OpenAI, 35% of all messages relate to professional tasks, outpacing the global average of 30%.

The adoption is particularly pronounced in software development. OpenAI’s coding assistant, Codex, has found an especially enthusiastic audience in India. Indian users engage with Codex three times more than the global median, and weekly usage has quadrupled since the tool launched its Mac app two weeks ago. They’re also asking three times as many coding-related questions as users elsewhere.

What They’re Actually Using It For

Professional productivity leads the way, with young Indians leveraging ChatGPT for work tasks at rates above the global average. But the use cases extend beyond the office.

Guidance and learning account for 35% of messages, suggesting that many young users see ChatGPT as a mentor or educational resource. This aligns with India’s massive ed-tech market and the country’s cultural emphasis on skill development.

General information queries make up 20% of interactions, while another 20% involve writing assistance—everything from crafting emails to generating creative content.

“The data suggests we’re looking at a generation that’s integrating AI into their daily workflows in ways that older demographics haven’t yet embraced. This could have profound implications for how the Indian workforce evolves.” — Technology Analyst

Strategic Implications

India represents OpenAI’s second-largest market with more than 100 million weekly users. The company has clearly recognized the opportunity, offering a sub-$5 subscription tier specifically for the Indian market and running promotional campaigns to accelerate adoption.

The findings also parallel research from Anthropic, which reported this week that 45.2% of Claude’s tasks in India map to software-related use cases. The pattern is clear: India’s young, tech-savvy population is embracing AI tools at an unprecedented rate, primarily for professional and educational advancement.

For OpenAI, this youth-driven adoption presents both opportunities and challenges. While the company has achieved remarkable penetration among young Indians, converting this engagement into sustainable revenue remains the next hurdle. The sub-$5 pricing tier suggests OpenAI is playing the long game, prioritizing market share over immediate profitability.

As India’s AI ecosystem continues to mature, the behavior of this young user base will likely serve as a bellwether for how AI tools are adopted in other emerging markets. For now, one thing is certain: the future of AI in India looks remarkably young.

This article was reported by the ArtificialDaily editorial team. For more information, visit TechCrunch.