Over the past year, millions of Indian mobile users have noticed something unusual: premium AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity are being bundled for free with telecom plans. What once required monthly subscriptions is now appearing as a “value-added benefit” alongside data packs and calling minutes.
Naturally, this has created confusion. Why would some of the most expensive and advanced technologies in the world suddenly become free? The answer has little to do with generosity — and everything to do with strategy.
Why India Is Getting AI for Free
The simplest explanation is scale. India is home to nearly 900 million mobile users, one of the youngest populations globally, and one of the fastest-growing tech communities on the planet. From developers experimenting on GitHub to students using AI for studies, coding, and research, India represents exactly what AI companies need most right now: massive adoption and real-world usage.
Telecom giants like Jio and Airtel understand this perfectly. By bundling AI tools into their plans, they make their services more attractive while helping AI platforms grow faster than they ever could on their own. This approach is not new. Jio used the same playbook when it launched free 4G services — acquire users first, monetize later.
In this partnership, everyone benefits in the short term. Telecom companies reduce churn and increase engagement. AI platforms gain access to millions of users overnight. But the long-term objective runs much deeper.
The Business Reality Behind AI
Despite their popularity, AI companies are not swimming in profits. Training large models requires enormous investment in GPUs, data centers, electricity, and infrastructure. These costs run into billions of dollars annually. Right now, profitability is not the primary goal.
Control is.
Whoever controls the largest, most engaged user base will influence how AI evolves, how models are trained, and which companies dominate the future. From this perspective, India is not a charity market — it is a strategic one.
AI companies are racing to secure user loyalty early, even if that means offering premium features for free. In the long run, the company that becomes indispensable to users will have the strongest position to monetize later through enterprise tools, APIs, and advanced services.
Why Indian Users Matter So Much
Indian users generate some of the most valuable data in the world. The country’s diversity spans multiple languages, dialects, accents, cultural contexts, writing styles, and problem-solving approaches. This diversity helps AI systems become more adaptable, more accurate, and more globally useful.
Training models on data from a single region creates blind spots. Training on Indian usage reduces them.
There’s also a forward-looking reason. India is expected to surpass the United States in advanced technology adoption in the coming years. That makes Indian users central not just as consumers, but as contributors to how AI systems learn, improve, and scale globally.
About Data and Privacy
The question of data privacy is unavoidable. Yes, AI companies collect data. But so do Amazon, Google, Swiggy, Zomato, and nearly every digital service people already use daily. Avoiding AI entirely to protect privacy is unrealistic in today’s connected world.
The smarter approach is awareness.
AI should be treated as a tool, not a diary. Uploading sensitive documents, personal photos, or financial information carries risks — just as it does on any cloud-based service. If you wouldn’t want something stored indefinitely somewhere, it probably doesn’t belong in an AI prompt.
Caution doesn’t mean fear. It means using these tools intelligently and responsibly.
What Users Should Do Now
The worst response to this shift is panic — or avoidance.
History shows a clear pattern. People who adopted computers early gained an advantage. Those who embraced smartphones early moved faster in their careers and businesses. AI is simply the next evolution of that pattern.
Learning how to use AI effectively is now a basic skill, not a luxury.
Different tools excel at different tasks. Some are better for research and writing, others for coding, brainstorming, or problem-solving. The key is experimentation — and understanding their strengths and limits — while remaining mindful of what information you share.
AI literacy will soon be as important as internet literacy.
The Truth About “Free” AI
AI tools are not free because companies love users. They’re free because companies want users.
They want attention, engagement, feedback, and data — the fuel that shapes future models and products. But this doesn’t mean users are powerless. When used wisely, AI can amplify productivity, learning, and creativity far more than it takes away.
The real risk isn’t using AI.
The real risk is being the only person in the room who doesn’t know how to use it.
As India becomes one of the most important AI markets in the world, users who understand this moment — and act on it — stand to gain the most.