OpenAI makes Indic languages and voice a top India priority

The Story in Brief

OpenAI is making Indic-language performance and voice a top research priority as it expands work with Indian startups, Marc Manara, the company’s global head of startups, told Mint. The firm says the effort will support both business customers and consumers. It has also cut prices for its GPT-5.6 Luna and Terra models by 80% and 20%, respectively, to widen adoption as startups manage high computing costs.

OpenAI’s India startup team is its largest in Asia-Pacific and third largest worldwide, according to Manara. The company has run hackathons, workshops and coding events with venture funds and startups. India’s conversational AI market was valued at $653.24 million in 2025 and is projected to reach $5.9 billion by 2034, IMARC Group estimates.

The Indian Opinion

Claims that voice AI will quickly become the main way Indians use technology may be overstated, especially across India’s many languages and accents. But dismissing the opportunity because startups use open-weight models would be just as lazy. Lower prices and better speech performance matter more than corporate promises. The real test is whether users can complete everyday tasks accurately in several Indian languages, at a cost startups can sustain.

Source: livemint.com

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