The announcement was made by the company on October 28.
The free subscription is applicable to all users including the existing ones.
Stepwise guide to avail the offer
1. Open the ChatGPT web or mobile app and log in to your OpenAI account.
2. Go to Settings, click Upgrade Plan or similar prompt 'Upgrade to Go for Free' in the app.
3. Select the ChatGPT Go subscription and confirm the offer. Some users may need to add a payment method though they won’t be charged for the first year under the offer.
4. Once accepted, your account will be upgraded to Go for free for the 12-month period. After the first year, the access may revert to the free tier unless you pay.
Why is OpenAI targeting the Indian market?
After the US, India is currently the second largest market for ChatGPT with tens of millions of active monthly users.
OpenAI wants to tap into this huge, price-sensitive but tech-hungry demographic.
India is one of the fastest-growing AI skill hubs in the world, producing millions of developers, data scientists, and engineers.
Startups and education sectors are adopting AI tools rapidly from coding assistants to content generation.
OpenAI wants to embed ChatGPT as a daily productivity tool before local competitors like Google’s Gemini, Krutrim, or Sarvam gain dominance.