OpenAI enlists ex-Twitter India head to set up a team in the country

Neither Sam Altman nor the company made any announcements during his two-day visit to India in June 2023.

As reported by TechCrunch, OpenAI collaborates with Rishi Jaitly, former Twitter India head, as a senior advisor for government discussions on AI policy. Additionally, the company aims to establish a local team in India.

The report further mentions that Jaitly has been assisting OpenAI in navigating the policy and regulatory environment in India.

OpenAI does not have an official presence in India at the moment, apart from a recently approved trademark. CEO Sam Altman visited New Delhi in June during a global tour and had an engaging meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Neither Altman nor the company disclosed any announcements during his two-day visit.

Jaitly's formal employment status with OpenAI remains unclear, but he has been serving in an advisory capacity to guide the company in building connections in India. According to sources, he assumed this role following Altman's visit to New Delhi.

From 2007 to 2009, Jaitly led the public-private partnership at Google in India. In 2012, he transitioned to Twitter (now X), becoming the company's inaugural employee in the country, as per his LinkedIn profile.

Subsequently, he rose to the position of VP for the APAC and MENA region at Twitter. In late 2016, Jaitly moved on from Twitter and assumed the role of co-founder and CEO at Times Bridge, the global investment arm of The Times Group, an Indian media company. Times Bridge's portfolio features prominent names like Uber, Airbnb, Coursera, Mubi, Smule, and Wattpad. Jaitly parted ways with the firm in 2022.

Anna Makanju, OpenAI's vice president of global affairs, is set to address the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence summit in Delhi next week. She will participate in the session titled "Collaborative AI for Global Partnership (CAIGP) – Global Cooperation for Equitable AI," alongside industry experts and international politicians. Sources indicate that Jaitly played a role in facilitating Makanju's involvement in the event, as reported by TechCrunch.