India Hosts AI Leaders: Sam Altman's Zen Visit and the AI Summit

India Enters the Global AI Race

The eyes of the artificial intelligence world will turn to India in February. The first major India AI Impact Summit 2026, which will be attended by leading figures from the technology world, will take place in New Delhi from February 16-20. The summit stands out as the most concrete indicator of the global AI ecosystem's growing interest in the Indian market.

Altman's Strategic Visit and Closed-Door Meetings

According to sources speaking to TechCrunch, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman plans to visit India during the summit week. Altman's last visit to India was about a year ago, in February 2025. Another planned visit, following OpenAI's announcement of opening a New Delhi office in August 2025, did not materialize. Therefore, the potential visit in February 2026 is of great importance for the company's regional strategy.

Although Altman's name is not currently on the official summit participant list, it has been learned that OpenAI will organize closed-door meetings in New Delhi as part of the summit, and Altman is expected to be present at these meetings. Additionally, the company is reportedly planning a separate OpenAI event on February 19th, to which venture capitalists and industry executives are invited. Sources emphasize that Altman's visit has not yet been publicly announced and that plans may change.

Technology Giant Leaders Under One Roof

The India AI Impact Summit 2026 will bring together the strongest names in the field of artificial intelligence. According to the summit's website; alongside global leaders such as NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of India's largest private company Reliance Industries, will also participate in the event.

Numerous side events will also be held throughout the summit week. For example, Anthropic confirmed it will organize a developer day in Bengaluru on February 16th, while NVIDIA is also planning an evening event in New Delhi during the summit week. This intensity showcases the determination of global AI companies to reach India's enterprise customers, startup ecosystem, and vast developer community.

India: A Critical Growth Market for AI

In recent months, India has become an indispensable growth market for American AI companies. ChatGPT holds the position of the largest market by downloads and the second largest by user count in India. However, OpenAI has faced challenges in converting this high demand into paid subscriptions. To overcome this difficulty, the company launched a lower-priced plan last year called "ChatGPT Go," priced under $5 per month and offered free for the first year.

Other competitors are also strengthening their positions in the Indian market. Anthropic opened an office in Bengaluru and appointed former Microsoft India Managing Director Irina Ghose to head local operations. Google and Perplexity are preparing to offer premium AI subscriptions to millions of telecom users by establishing partnerships with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, respectively.

OpenAI's Growth Push in India

OpenAI has been taking various steps in recent months to expand its presence in India. The company is hiring for various positions, including corporate sales, technical deployment, and legal roles focused on AI regulations. Current job postings in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are drawing attention.

According to sources, during his visit, Altman is expected to meet with key technology executives, startup founders, and government officials. These meetings will provide an important opportunity for OpenAI to understand India's AI regulatory environment and develop local collaborations.

In conclusion, this intense technology traffic in India in February 2026 is a clear sign that one of the geographical centers of the AI revolution is shifting towards Asia. Both the investments of global giants and India's own dynamic startup ecosystem are making the country a key player shaping the future of AI.