ChatGPT Developer OpenAI Working With Ex-Twitter Executive Rishi Jaitly To Enter India’s AI Space

Sam Altman’s OpenAI is reportedly partnering with former Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly to understand and navigate the country’s policies and regulations on the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape.

According to a TechCrunch report, Jaitly is working as a senior advisor with the ChatGPT developer to facilitate talks with the Indian government about AI policy.

Jaitly served as the head of the public-private partnership for Google in India between 2007 and 2009. In 2012, he transitioned to Twitter (now X), becoming the company’s inaugural employee in the country, as indicated on his LinkedIn profile.

While OpenAI currently lacks an official presence in India, recent developments include the approval of a trademark earlier this month. OpenAI’s cofounder and chief executive officer Altman visited New Delhi in June during a global tour and held discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

During his visit to India in June, Altman expressed keen interest in investing in Indian startups. When asked by Inc42 at an event in Delhi about OpenAI’s venture capital arm considering investments in Indian startups, he said, “We had some discussions about investing in Indian startups and we would love to explore opportunities in that space.”

Additionally, there are indications that OpenAI is exploring the establishment of a local team in India, the TechCrunch report added.

In 2015, Sam Altman, along with Elon Musk and other collaborators, established OpenAI as a non-profit organisation. However, in 2019, they introduced a for-profit arm. The primary objective was to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity.

With the introduction of ChatGPT, a consumer-oriented chatbot app, OpenAI not only gained widespread recognition but also emerged as a leading force in AI. Reports suggest that Altman asserted OpenAI was achieving an Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) of $1.3 Bn.

Lately, things have been a bit topsy-turvy for OpenAI’s top brass. First, Sam Altman and board president Greg Brockman got unexpectedly booted from the company. They briefly hopped over to Microsoft before making a comeback to OpenAI with a freshened-up board.

As per an Inc42 report, “India’s Generative AI Startup Landscape, 2023”, the GenAI market in India is poised to see a substantial increase from $1.1 Bn in 2023 to over $17 Bn by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 48%.

India currently boasts over 70 generative AI startups. These startups have collectively secured more than $440 Mn in funding between 2019 and the third quarter of 2023.

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