OpenAI has launched a new subscription plan named ChatGPT GO in India, aimed at making the popular AI chatbot more accessible to users. ChatGPT GO now costs only ₹399 per month, which is about $4.60. This provides an attractive alternative to the pricier current Plus Plan, which costs ₹1,999 (roughly $23) a month.
OpenAI’s global rollout of a version of ChatGPTGO to bring more users onboard in India may be blunted by these regulations. This decision comes on the heels of a monumental increase in engagement after they launched their new and improved image generator tool in March. ChatGPT is now up to 700 million weekly users worldwide. That’s up from only 500 million users a few months ago, making it arguably the most impactful AI tool to date.
Nick Turley, Vice President at OpenAI and director of ChatGPT, Nicks out the company’s inspiration for usage with this launch.
“Making ChatGPT more affordable has been a key ask from users! We’re rolling out Go in India first and will learn from feedback before expanding to other countries.” – Nick Turley
ChatGPT GO opens up far more powerful tools to users compared to the free tier. It increases prompt limits, image generation, and file uploads to ten times their current limits. To top it all off, it offers twice the memory storage than the free version! This is what makes it such an alluring offering to anyone who needs more advanced capabilities from the chatbot.
To make payments easier, OpenAI has made transactions through UPI (Unified Payment Interface), India’s payment infrastructure, possible on the platform. This decision is consistent with a recent move to simplify the guidance. It opens up local currency pricing for all ChatGPT plans and was introduced only 3 days ahead of the launch of ChatGPT GO.
Until we see it widely deployed, though, this subscription service will remain limited to India. OpenAI is reportedly working on plans to increase support to more regions in the future. According to the company, it seeks user feedback throughout this limited rollout period to help shape its larger strategy.
There is huge interest in AI tools in India. Smart timing ChatGPT GO, if widely adopted, could have the salutary effect of reinforcing OpenAI’s first mover advantage in the still nascent but burgeoning artificial intelligence field. OpenAI remains committed to keeping its services cheap and users happy. They are motivated by the desire to both retain and grow their user base in the region.