OpenAI enters Indian colleges, Google Gemini moves to help students crack IIT entrance prep

OpenAI is pushing into India's top colleges just as Google turns its AI tools toward cracking the IIT entrance exam, suggesting a deeper fight for how the country's students learn.

OpenAI’s decision to step inside Indian college campuses comes at a moment when the battle for the country’s students is quietly intensifying. After years of building a massive consumer base through ChatGPT, the US-based AI company is now turning its attention to institutions that create how Indians study, work, and build careers. At the same time, Google is moving closer to the most stressful point in an Indian student’s life, preparing for the IIT entrance exam. Taken together, the moves show how India has become more than just a fast-growing user base for global AI firms. It is now a proving ground for how artificial intelligence can be embedded into education at scale.

This week, OpenAI announced partnerships with six public and private higher-education institutions in India, spanning engineering, management, medicine, and design. The first set of campuses includes Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi. The company said the initiative is expected to reach more than 100,000 students, faculty members, and staff over the next year.

Unlike earlier waves of AI adoption driven by individual users experimenting with chatbots, OpenAI’s India push is designed to sit deeper inside academic systems. Campuses will get access to ChatGPT Edu tools, faculty training, and frameworks focused on responsible use. The emphasis is on using AI for everyday academic work, from coding and research to analytics and case discussions, rather than treating it as a standalone productivity tool.

The move is notable because India is already one of OpenAI’s biggest markets. Chief executive Sam Altman has said the country has more than 100 million monthly ChatGPT users, making it the company’s second-largest user base after the US. Yet, consumer scale alone does not guarantee long-term influence. By working directly with colleges, OpenAI is positioning itself closer to how AI skills are taught and normalised among future engineers, managers, doctors, and designers.

Two partner institutions, IIM Ahmedabad and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, will also roll out OpenAI-backed certifications. Beyond campuses, the company plans to work with Indian ed-tech platforms including Physics Wallah, upGrad, and HCL GUVI to offer structured AI courses aimed at students and early-career professionals.

Raghav Gupta, head of education at OpenAI India, described educational institutions as a “critical route” for closing the gap between rapidly advancing AI tools and how people actually use them as skill demands change.