OpenAI Launches “India-First” Learning Accelerator with IIT Madras and Distributes 5 Lakh Free ChatGPT Licenses.

In August 2025, OpenAI unveiled its Learning Accelerator in India—its first such initiative—featuring a ₹4.5 crore (USD 500,000) research grant to Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), and the free distribution of 500,000 ChatGPT licenses to students and educators nationwide, aimed at promoting AI-powered learning.

      - In partnership with IIT Madras, OpenAI committed USD 500,000 (approximately ₹4.5 crore) to support long-term educational research on how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance learning outcomes and foster innovative teaching methods. The collaboration aligns with insights from cognitive neuroscience, with all findings intended to be made publicly available and feed into future AI application design.

      - Under the Learning Accelerator, OpenAI will distribute half a million ChatGPT licenses free of charge over the next six months. These licenses will be made accessible through partnerships with the Ministry of Education (MoE), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and Association for Reinventing School Education (ARISE), covering government schools and AICTE-regulated technical institutions.

      - As part of the initiative, training modules will be rolled out to promote responsible AI usage among students and educators. The Learning Accelerator seeks to integrate AI into classroom methodologies, assessments, and curriculum adoption, particularly for CBSE and IIT entrance preparation. The program also plans to support educational inclusion by enabling AI tools that run on basic smartphones and support 11 Indian languages.

Main Point :-   (i) OpenAI has appointed Raghav Gupta, an INSEAD-trained executive and former Managing Director (India & Asia-Pacific) at Coursera, as its Head of Education (India & Asia-Pacific). He will lead the Learning Accelerator, coordinating strategic partnerships, AI training, and access to educational tools across schools, universities, and research institutions.

      (ii) According to Leah Belsky, Vice President of Education at OpenAI, over 50% of ChatGPT users in India are under 24, using the platform extensively for studying. She stressed that “ChatGPT’s Study Mode” is tailored for the Indian curriculum and will eventually support local languages, underscoring India’s role as a “lighthouse” in OpenAI’s global education strategy.

(iii) This Learning Accelerator represents one of OpenAI’s most substantial investments in India’s education ecosystem to date. The launch builds on India’s growing influence in AI and precedes the establishment of OpenAI’s first Indian office in New Delhi, with global CEO Sam Altman expected to visit soon.
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