OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expected in India as global AI leaders gather in New Delhi in February
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is expected to visit India in mid-February 2026 as global artificial intelligence leaders plan to meet in New Delhi. The timing highlights India’s growing importance in the global AI ecosystem, though specific details of Altman’s agenda were not disclosed.
NEW DELHI: OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman is expected to visit India in mid-February 2026, as New Delhi prepares to host a major gathering of global artificial intelligence leaders, reflecting the country’s rising profile in AI policy and industry.
The visit, which would be Altman’s first in nearly a year, comes at a moment when India is positioning itself as both a large market for AI applications and a key stakeholder in debates on AI governance, safety and economic impact.
While the company has not publicly detailed Altman’s schedule, the overlap with the New Delhi convening suggests meetings with policymakers, startup founders, enterprise leaders and researchers could be on the cards, especially around themes such as responsible deployment, compute access and local innovation ecosystems.
Industry watchers see the timing as significant: AI is increasingly central to India’s tech narrative, not only for software services and global capability centres but also for public-sector use cases in education, agriculture, health systems and citizen services.
The expected visit adds to the momentum around India’s AI ambitions, with stakeholders looking for clarity on collaboration frameworks, investment signals and how global frontier-model developers plan to engage with the Indian market at scale.