Sam Altman Praises Indians for Their Positive Outlook on AI

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI has said that people in India are more excited about artificial intelligence than people in the United States. He also shared that India is now OpenAIs market in terms of users even bigger, than the United States.

On his podcast 'Figuring Out' entrepreneur Raj Shamani spoke with Altman about India's growing use of intelligence. Altman noted that people, in India are not trying out AI in different ways but are also putting it to practical use. He highlighted that Indian users are using AI to build businesses and to solve real-life problems.

Comparing the attitudes in the two countries, Altman said Americans generally appear more cautious about AI, while Indians are more welcoming of its possibilities.

When I speak to someone in the US a person they tend to be a little negative about AI and when I speak to people in India, they are very positive, about it. It's a difference, "Altman said."

During the conversation Shamani asked if India had become a market for OpenAI, than the US. Altman confirmed that India currently leads in user numbers and continues to show growth.

He also gave an example of a student who used OpenAIs tools to handle a full fundraising campaign, for his school even though he had never done fundraising before. As Altman said, these kinds of situations show how people are using AI to do jobs that might feel hard or new.

Explaining the difference in attitudes, Altman suggested that developing economies often have greater enthusiasm for emerging technologies because of their growing needs and demand for services.

"One thing that many people have observed is that countries that are developing faster, where the economy is growing faster and there's like more of a need for products and services and like, you know, there's just huge undersupply, are more welcoming of AI than more developed economies," he said.

Sam Altman admits not owning OpenAI equity was a mistake

The interview also brought attention to Altman's unusual position at OpenAI. Although he leads one of the world's most prominent AI companies, he does not hold an equity stake in it. Reflecting on the decision, he acknowledged that it may not have been the right move.

"I think not taking, not having equity in OpenAI has been a mistake. I did it for what I thought were good reasons. I think it's just been hugely confusing to people," Altman said.

He explained that many people struggle to understand why someone would dedicate years to building a company without having an ownership stake. To put his decision into perspective, he compared his work to that of an artist spending years creating something meaningful or an athlete investing countless hours in practice.

Altman described building OpenAI as some of the most interesting and important work he could pursue. However, he accepted that his decision not to take equity has created confusion about his position.

The discussion also covered the criticism he receives in the US. Altman observed that Americans tend to question people in powerful positions, particularly leaders of major technology companies. While he acknowledged that some scrutiny is justified, he believes the criticism directed towards him has sometimes gone too far.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kahekashan

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Kahekashan is a passionate technophile with a keen eye for cutting-edge gadgets, emerging technologies, and everything in the digital realm. Raised in a Defence family with strong values and a background in literature, she has consistently pursued excellence in every endeavour. Her last full-time assignment involved content writing with the Indian School of Business.

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