Sam Altman India visit: PM Modi to discuss India’s first foundational AI model with OpenAI CEO after Deepseek popularity

May Be Interested In:Trump defends Gaza proposal, says territory would be ‘turned over’ to U.S. by Israel



S Krishnan, the Secretary of the MeitY stated that the government is working to find a balance between developing the country’s first foundational artificial intelligence model using open-source frameworks and leveraging the capabilities of existing models like those from OpenAI.

The government is open to exploring potential collaboration with OpenAI

ChatGPT creator OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman is likely to visit India on February 5, sources said on Monday, adding that the high-profile founder is expected to meet top government officials and engage in an industry fireside chat during his trip. 

S Krishnan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), stated on Tuesday that the government is working to find a balance between developing the country’s first foundational artificial intelligence model using open-source frameworks and leveraging the capabilities of existing models like those from OpenAI. 

Krishnan stated that while the government is open to exploring potential collaboration with OpenAI, ChatGPT is not an open-source model. He emphasized, “Our models will have to be built on open-source foundations.” He highlighted DeepSeek as an example of a hybrid approach in AI development, explaining that it demonstrates how parts of an existing model can be integrated and built upon. However, he also recognized a major challenge: the uncertainty about the training data used in the original models. 

He expressed concerns about data privacy, stating, “If you use DeepSeek as an app, it’s likely that the data travels to their servers.” To address this issue, Krishnan proposed a solution: “We can pick up DeepSeek, host it on Indian servers, so that data stays here in India.” 

This approach would help keep sensitive data within the country while still taking advantage of advanced AI technologies. As talks with OpenAI approach, the primary focus is on developing a strong AI ecosystem in India, ensuring a balance between innovation and the crucial need for data security and sovereignty.  

Altman’s visit, his second one in two years, comes at an interesting juncture when OpenAI’s (and indeed the western world’s) dominance in artificial intelligence has abruptly been challenged by Chinese upstart Deepseek, which turned heads with its low-cost AI model R1, built at less than USD 6 million and guzzling a fraction of compute power when compared to popular models like ChatGPT. 

Deepseek overtook ChatGPT as the top-ranked free app on Apple’s Appstore, as the US tech industry — that has long-justified injecting billions of dollars into AI investments — watched in sheer disbelief. 

share Share facebook pinterest whatsapp x print

Similar Content

pedestrian
David Frum versus ‘settler colonialism’
Experienced editor Lisa Muxworthy joins Nine’s metro mastheads
Experienced editor Lisa Muxworthy joins Nine’s metro mastheads
The Media Is Ready to Hold Trump to a Lower Standard
The Media Is Ready to Hold Trump to a Lower Standard
Exercising for 30 minutes improves memory, study suggests
Exercising for 30 minutes improves memory, study suggests
Space company of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos calls off debut launch of new rocket | CBC News
Space company of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos calls off debut launch of new rocket | CBC News
Prince Harry settles with Murdoch's British tabloids as trial is about to begin
Prince Harry settles with Murdoch’s British tabloids as trial is about to begin
Trending Stories: What's Shaping the World Today | © 2025 | Daily News