OpenAI is experiencing an explosive surge in user activity, particularly from India, following the rollout of its new image-generation feature in ChatGPT powered by GPT-4o. In just one week, 130 million users created over 700 million images, according to OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap. That’s nearly 100 million images per day—a scale that has stunned even OpenAI’s top executives.
What’s more, India has emerged as the fastest-growing market for ChatGPT, with Lightcap calling the range of visual creativity “extremely inspiring.” Sam Altman also chimed in on X, calling India's adoption of AI tools "amazing" and saying “India is outpacing the world.” His playful AI-generated image of himself in a Team India cricket jersey – blending anime aesthetics with cricket fandom – was a clear nod to India’s cultural pulse and social media savvy.
But while the praise flows, Kunal Shah, founder of CRED, offered a more sobering take. In a sharp one-liner, he wrote, “India is the MAU farm of the world” — referencing the country’s role in driving monthly active users for global tech platforms. His point: India may be leading in usage numbers, but the deeper question is whether this translates into value creation for Indian users or just data and engagement for global firms like OpenAI.
India's booming smartphone penetration, affordable data, and massive youth population make it a goldmine of interactions for any AI model. More usage equals more data, and more data means better training for future models, ultimately feeding OpenAI’s product refinement and monetization engine.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is struggling to scale up server capacity due to the unexpectedly high demand for its image tool. The Ghibli-style image generation, in particular, has gone viral on platforms like X and Instagram, with users creating everything from fairy-tale profile pictures to whimsical wedding portraits. The GPU strain has been so intense that Sam Altman joked that their servers were "melting."
Despite the fun, the pressure on OpenAI’s infrastructure is real. Lightcap admitted that the team is working around the clock to keep things running, and Altman has already warned users to expect slower performance, delays, and bugs as they try to scale.
The big picture:
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India is OpenAI’s breakout market, and the company knows it.
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Image generation + culture-specific engagement = viral growth.
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But the infrastructure is wobbling under the weight of viral success.
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The conversation is also shifting from “cool features” to ethical and strategic questions about how Indian user data is used, monetised, and valued in the global AI race.
If this momentum continues, expect more India-focused features, partnerships, and outreach from OpenAI — and more scrutiny from users, founders, and policymakers alike.
Want to see how India stacks up against other countries in ChatGPT usage trends or AI tool adoption?
