India's AI Battle Intensifies! Google Offers 18 Months of Gemini Pro for Free, OpenAI Launches Free ChatGPT Go - Tech Giants Compete for 1 Billion Users
The focus of global AI competition is shifting to user scale. India, with over 1 billion internet users, lacks a local large model and has become a battleground for tech giants. In October 2025, Google and OpenAI launched free strategies simultaneously: Google partnered with Reliance Industries to offer 18 months of AI Pro service to Jio users; OpenAI provided one year of free ChatGPT Go subscription to Indian users. This competition uses subsidies to gain data, and user scale will determine the future AI landscape.