Altman’s AI-generated cricket avatar in India jersey draws praise, scepticism, and strategy talk

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and the public face of ChatGPT, has kicked up a storm in India — not with a product launch or a corporate deal, but with an anime-style image of himself wielding a cricket bat in an Indian team jersey.

Altman posted the AI-generated image on X (formerly Twitter), prompting a flurry of responses from Indian users. Some were thrilled, others suspicious. But almost everyone seemed to agree: this wasn’t a random post.

The image was created with a prompt asking for “Sam Altman as a cricket player in anime style.” What the AI returned — Altman dressed in a bright blue India jersey — felt almost too tailored for a nation known for its passion for cricket and growing dominance in the tech space.

While Altman has previously shared AI-generated artwork — including a recent take on the viral Studio Ghibli trend — it was the India-themed cricket image that drew serious attention and speculation. Some praised it as a fun gesture. Others saw it as a strategic move to court a lucrative market.

“Sam trying hard to attract Indian customers,” wrote one X user. Another demanded: “How much are you allocating out of that $40bn to India?”

Indeed, Altman’s post came just hours after he lauded India’s rapid adoption of AI, saying it was “outpacing the world.” This, too, sparked headlines and Reddit threads wondering whether his recent praise was part of a broader commercial play.

Adding fuel to the theory was Altman’s retweet of a Ghibli-style image of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, originally shared by the Indian government’s public engagement platform. The timing of these posts — cricket, AI, and Modi — raised eyebrows.

“You’ve been praising India and Indian customers a lot… it feels like there’s some deep strategy going on,” one user observed on X. That sentiment might not be entirely unfounded.

Back in 2023, during a visit to India, Altman had appeared dismissive of the country’s AI ambitions, calling attempts to build large foundational AI models on a $10m budget “totally hopeless.” But this year, he struck a different note. In February, he met Indian telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, expressing interest in developing low-cost AI models with Indian partners.

He also revealed that India is now OpenAI’s second-largest market, with user numbers tripling in the past year. That statistic alone offers a strong incentive for a more India-friendly image.

Altman’s company is also embroiled in a legal dispute with major Indian media outlets over the alleged unauthorised use of their content — a backdrop that adds complexity to his public charm offensive.

Industry watchers say there’s little mystery behind Altman’s sudden warmth toward India: it’s about scale and profitability. The Indian AI market is expected to hit $8 billion by 2025, growing at over 40% annually, according to the International Trade Administration.

“India is a very large client base for all global AI foundational models,” says Nikhil Pahwa, founder of MediaNama. “And with cheaper competitors like DeepSeek AI emerging, Altman is eager to retain his base and attract developers to build on OpenAI.”

Technology analyst Prasanto K Roy agrees. He notes that the Ghibli trend helped reveal just how large and engaged India’s user base is. As rival models like Google’s Gemini and Elon Musk’s Grok gain traction, Altman’s image stunt may be a clever way to stay in the conversation.

Meanwhile, Aravind Srinivas, founder of rival AI firm Perplexity, recently pledged $1 million and five hours a week to support Indian AI start-ups, saying he wanted to “make India great again” in AI.

Altman may not have used such lofty language — but his posts are sending a message. Whether they’re driven by admiration or ambition, one thing’s clear: India is now a battleground for the AI giants.