Sam Altman Plans India Visit as Global AI Leaders Gather in New Delhi

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is planning a visit to India in mid-February, marking his first trip to the country in nearly a year, as New Delhi prepares to host a major global artificial intelligence summit, according to sources familiar with the matter.

India will host its first large-scale AI event, the India AI Impact Summit 2026, from February 16 to 20 in New Delhi. The summit is expected to bring together some of the world’s most influential AI and technology leaders, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, along with prominent Indian business leaders such as Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, according to the summit’s website. While Altman is not yet listed as a confirmed attendee, OpenAI is planning closed-door meetings on the sidelines of the event where he is expected to be present.

OpenAI is also set to host a private event in New Delhi on February 19, bringing together venture capitalists and senior industry executives. Altman’s travel plans have not been publicly announced and could still change, sources said.

Several other U.S.-based AI companies are organising parallel events around the summit week, highlighting India’s growing importance in the global AI ecosystem. Anthropic has confirmed a developers’ day in Bengaluru on February 16, while Nvidia is expected to host an evening event in New Delhi during the same week. Together, these engagements underline the push by global AI firms to deepen ties with India’s enterprise customers, startup ecosystem, and developer community.

Altman last visited India in February 2025 and had earlier indicated plans to return later that year after OpenAI announced the opening of its New Delhi office. That visit, however, did not materialise. His upcoming trip comes as India emerges as a key growth market for American AI companies. In recent months, Anthropic opened an office in Bengaluru, while Google and Perplexity have partnered with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, respectively, to bundle AI services for millions of telecom users.

OpenAI has been steadily expanding its footprint in India, hiring across enterprise sales, technical deployment, and legal and policy roles in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. India is now ChatGPT’s largest market by downloads and the second-largest by users, though monetisation remains a challenge. To address this, OpenAI introduced a lower-priced “ChatGPT Go” plan and promotional offers to drive adoption.

During the visit, Altman is expected to meet senior government officials, startup founders, and technology leaders as OpenAI looks to expand enterprise adoption of its tools while maintaining mass-market reach. With the government hoping the summit will attract up to $100 billion in AI investments, the event is seen as a key moment in positioning India as a global AI hub.