OpenAI announced the first cohort of higher education institutions in India, with whom it is collaborating deeply to mark a significant step toward strengthening AI use among students. Addressing management, health, engineering, creative fields, and multidisciplinary education across universities, the effort is designed to strengthen national capability for an AI-driven economy.
This initiative moves beyond providing access to AI tools. It focuses on helping students, as well as faculty and staff, use AI to deepen learning, think critically, and create. This happens by integrating AI systematically across academic institutions – anchored in responsible use and academic integrity.
Onboarded as a part of this initiative are Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), and Pearl Academy, representing the breadth of India’s higher education ecosystem.
Mr. Raghav Gupta, Head of Education, OpenAI India said, “AI literacy is essential to building a future-ready generation. Studies project that by 2030, nearly 40% of the core skills workers rely on today will change, driven largely by AI. Yet, a gap remains between what AI tools can do and how people are using them. Education institutions are a critical route to bridge this gap. By embedding AI tools, training, and research into the core infrastructure of schools and universities, they can equip students with the skills needed to thrive in a world with AI.”
Together, the initiative will support more than 100,000 students, faculty, and staff over the coming year. The initiative reflects a broader shift in Indian higher education from AI access to institutional transformation, equipping graduates not just to use AI, but to lead with it. The work will focus on durable, campus-wide capability, including secure, enterprise-grade ChatGPT Edu access, structured onboarding, discipline-specific implementation guidance, and responsible-use frameworks aligned with institutional policies.
AI fluency will be embedded into core academic workflows, including advanced prompting, analytics, coding, simulations, case analysis, and AI-assisted research, alongside faculty enablement and institutional upskilling. OpenAI will also support hackathons, build days, and research-to-deployment initiatives, culminating in Industry Days that connect campus innovation with startups, enterprises, and India’s priority sectors.
Additionally, IIM Ahmedabad and Manipal will deploy OpenAI certifications, formalising structured AI capability pathways within business education and multidisciplinary programs respectively.
To expand AI capabilities beyond campuses and into the broader skilling ecosystem, OpenAI is also collaborating with leading ed-tech platforms including PhysicsWallah, upGrad, and HCL GUVI. These platforms will launch structured courses focused on AI fundamentals and practical ChatGPT use cases, targeting students and early-career professionals seeking industry-ready skills. This complementary pathway ensures that AI fluency is not confined to select institutions but scaled across India’s rapidly growing learner base.
The work signals a broader shift in Indian higher education from AI access to institutional transformation. By embedding AI responsibly into teaching, learning, research, and campus operations, OpenAI and the cohort aim to strengthen national capability, accelerate research outcomes, and equip India’s next generation to lead in an AI-driven world.
Collaboration Highlights
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi)
The collaboration with IIT Delhi centers on engineering-led innovation and advanced research. The institute will explore receiving campus-wide access to ChatGPT Edu for faculty, researchers, students and staff, supported by structured onboarding and responsible-use frameworks aligned with institutional policies. This will be accompanied by faculty briefings and content on integrating generative AI (including Codex where applicable) into research and teaching material, with a focus on applied problem-solving, prototyping, and systems design. OpenAI-supported hackathons will address national and regional engineering priorities, culminating in OpenAI-IIT Delhi Industry Days that connect student-led innovation with India’s deep-tech, manufacturing, and R&D ecosystem.
“We are delighted to partner with OpenAI to explore access to the latest ChatGPT Edu tools for our students, researchers and faculty and to enable collaborative research in novel applications of AI, including in Education. This is a part of IIT Delhi’s strategy to enhance partnerships with Sovereign and Global AI companies,” said Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director & Professor Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad)
The collaboration with IIM Ahmedabad is anchored in campus-wide ChatGPT Edu deployment across degree and executive programs. The focus is on embedding AI fluency into management education covering strategy, operations, finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, and public policy. The partnership will support faculty enablement through AI-informed teaching and evaluation frameworks, while activating IIMA’s innovation ecosystem to drive industry partnerships, sponsored research, and startup incubation. The objective is to equip students, the future leaders, with the ability to deploy AI responsibly in enterprise decision-making and organizational transformation.
“Technology has always been a great enabler for humankind. As the world is looking at the century-defining opportunities that lie before us with AI, across every industry and economy, it is time that we brace ourselves by building a strong foundation for an exciting future. We are pleased to partner with OpenAI, a world-leading organisation in AI research and development, to make management education intrinsically aligned with the global technology and business landscape. This collaboration will not only prepare our students, faculty, and staff members to become an AInative workforce but also support them in understanding and adopting responsible use of AI through a range of resources and activities. IIM Ahmedabad is committed to leading and shaping the future of management education and business leadership with emerging opportunities in AI,” said Prof. Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIM Ahmedabad.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi (AIIMS New Delhi)
With AIIMS New Delhi, OpenAI will explore applied use of AI in medical education, faculty development, and clinical training. The collaboration includes the potential establishment of an AI in Medical Education Hub to pilot priority use cases in teaching, simulation, clinical documentation, and evidence synthesis. The initiative will focus on defining quality benchmarks, safety guardrails, and responsible deployment standards tailored to healthcare education, ensuring AI augments clinical judgment while upholding patient safety and academic integrity.
“At AIIMS New Delhi, we see artificial intelligence as a powerful enabler of academic excellence and clinical precision. Our collaboration with OpenAI reflects our commitment to responsibly integrate advanced AI tools into medical education, faculty development, and clinical training. Through the proposed AI in Medical Education Hub, we aim to establish robust quality benchmarks, safety guardrails, and ethical standards so that AI strengthens clinical judgment, enhances learning, and ultimately improves patient care outcomes,” said Prof M. Srinivas, Director All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) At MAHE, the collaboration spans engineering, computer science, health sciences, business, hospitality, and allied disciplines. The focus is on cross-disciplinary research, AI-enabled prototyping, and large-scale AI literacy across programs. MAHE will integrate structured AI capability tracks across its multidisciplinary ecosystem, enabling students to demonstrate applied AI proficiency across technical and professional domains.
“Manipal group and MAHE have a long-standing legacy of being a research-driven global institution, fuelled by academic excellence and innovation. MAHE’s work with OpenAI reflects our strategic commitment to integrating advanced AI technologies into teaching, research, student outcomes, and administration. AI is an enabler in transforming how the university enhances learning outcomes, accelerates research, and fosters critical thinking in a dynamic environment. Through this collaboration with OpenAI, MAHE aspires to cement its role as a digitally transformed and AI-enabled pioneering higher education institution,” said Lt. Gen Dr. M.D. Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education.
University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) and Pearl Academy
At UPES, AI will be leveraged for multidisciplinary applications encompassing diverse sectors such as advanced engineering, computer science, business, design, law, liberal studies, and health sciences with emphasis on class – leading research, immersive learning and applied innovation aligned to industry needs.
“We are excited to be the pioneering Indian university to commit to a governed, campus-wide GenAI deployment at this scale – treating AI as core academic and service infrastructure, not a series of experiments. We are purposefully architecting an AI-native university where AI is woven into the very fabric of learning, teaching, research, and student life. AI literacy will be the default foundation for every student, every faculty member, and every campus process from day one,” said Dr. Sunil Rai, Vice Chancellor, UPES.
At Pearl Academy, the focus is on AI in creative practice, supporting ideation, design development, branding, fashion technology, and digital media workflows. The collaboration equips students in creative disciplines with practical AI fluency while reinforcing responsible and ethical use.
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