ChatGPT price cut in the works? As OpenAI, Meta in talks with Reliance for India partnership, subscriptions may get cheaper

Amid reports that it is in discussion with Reliance Industries for strategic collaborations in India, OpenAI is considering reducing the subscription price of popular conversational AI, ChatGPT, from the current $20 to several dollars. The move aims to make the service more accessible, reported The Information. 

The report added that OpenAI and Meta are reportedly in talks with the Ambani conglomerate for a potential partnership that could see Reliance Jio distributing ChatGPT. 

The development comes as companies increasingly explore innovative ways to integrate AI into business operations across various sectors. The talks, cited by The Information, highlight a growing interest in leveraging AI technologies within India, a country known for its burgeoning digital economy. 

Recently, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had said that India is the company's second-biggest market where it tripled its user base last year.

While the basic version of ChatGPT is free for everyone to use, ChaptGPT Plus, which has access to the advanced model of AI-assisted research and research preview of GPT‑4.5, is currently priced at $20 (around Rs 1,720) per month. 

However, it remains unclear if OpenAI has proposed the price reduction to Reliance as part of their discussions. Such a move could significantly broaden the reach of ChatGPT, making it more attractive to a diverse range of users. This aligns with a broader trend in the tech industry to democratise access to sophisticated AI tools. 

Reliance is exploring the idea of selling OpenAI's models to its enterprise clients via an application programming interface (API). The conglomerate, led by Mukesh Ambani, has also considered hosting and running OpenAI models locally to ensure data remains within Indian borders. 

By doing so, Reliance could address data sovereignty concerns, a critical issue in today's data-driven world. This approach could enhance the appeal of AI solutions for businesses operating under stringent data protection regulations. 

In a significant infrastructural move, Reliance has discussed plans to run Meta and OpenAI models in a new three-gigawatt data centre in Gujarat's Jamnagar touted to be the largest of its kind globally. This facility would support the local hosting of AI models, providing the necessary computational power and data security required for large-scale AI operations. 

While Meta has so far not released a statement on these discussions, a potential partnership underscores the strategic importance tech giants place on collaborating with established local players like Reliance. The alliance could facilitate the integration of cutting-edge AI technologies into the Indian market, benefiting from Reliance's extensive network and influence across various sectors, including telecommunications and retail.