OpenAI has launched an ‘India-first’ Learning Accelerator initiative, thus marking a major commitment to the country’s education sector. The program, which was announced on Monday, includes a research grant of Rs 4.5 crore (approximately $500,000) to IIT-Madras and the distribution of 500,000 free ChatGPT licenses to educators and students.
The initiative includes a collaboration with leading institutions, including IIT-Madras, the Ministry of Education, and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The idea behind the program is a research partnership with IIT-Madras to study how AI tools impact teaching practices, learning outcomes, and cognitive development. The findings from this research will be made public to inform both educational practices and future product development.
Free ChatGPT licences to be distributed
The 500,000 free licenses to ChatGPT will be distributed over the next six months, providing teachers with premium ChatGPT access for tasks like lesson planning and student engagement. Meanwhile, students will gain access to advanced features such as “Study Mode” and interactive quizzes.
The company stated that the program is designed to narrow India’s digital divide, highlighting that ChatGPT runs on basic smartphones and supports 11 Indian languages.
OpenAI’s Vice President of Education, Leah Belsky, highlighted that the initiative is critical to the company’s mission of ensuring that AI benefits humanity and serves as one of its biggest investments in India’s education ecosystem.
Significant role in India expansion plans
The accelerator builds on OpenAI’s recent expansion in India, including the opening of a Delhi office and the launch of a new, more affordable subscription plan with UPI payments. Raghav Gupta, the newly appointed Head of Education for India and Asia Pacific at OpenAI, will lead the program to make AI tools more accessible and effective for educators and students across the country.
(with inputs from PTI)
