OpenAI partners with Sachin Tendulkar to expand AI use in India

MUMBAI: From cover drives to clever prompts, Sachin Tendulkar is taking his curiosity to a new crease. OpenAI has announced a multi-year partnership with the cricket legend to encourage more Indians to explore practical ways of using artificial intelligence in their personal and professional lives.

The collaboration will combine content, campaigns and experiences designed to show how ChatGPT can be used for everyday activities, from learning and exploring personal interests to developing ideas and working through more complex problems. Rather than positioning AI as something reserved for technology experts, the partnership aims to demonstrate applications through Tendulkar’s own experiences with the tool.

The collaboration begins with a campaign film featuring Tendulkar and his use of ChatGPT. The film looks at how he uses the AI tool for preparation, learning and personal interests, giving the partnership a more personal entry point than a conventional technology campaign.

According to OpenAI, Tendulkar was first introduced to ChatGPT by his daughter Sara while the family was planning a holiday. What began as a travel-related experiment has since expanded into a wider habit of using the tool to explore subjects that interest him.

Tendulkar now uses ChatGPT to explore interests including cars and golf, organise and refine ideas, and discover recipes and inspiration while cooking for friends. The examples position ChatGPT as a general-purpose tool that can fit into activities well beyond work or formal research.

Tendulkar said much of his learning begins with a question and that ChatGPT allows him to keep asking questions, build on ideas and explore subjects at his own pace. He said the partnership would allow him to share what he finds useful while also learning about other ways he can use the technology.

The campaign opens with a teaser built around a guessing game between Tendulkar and ChatGPT. He asks the AI tool to identify him based on 10 questions, using the interaction to introduce viewers to the way he approaches the technology.

The 10-question exchange also gives the campaign an accessible starting point for audiences who may still be figuring out what to ask an AI assistant. Instead of beginning with technical explanations, the teaser uses a familiar game to demonstrate the conversational nature of ChatGPT.

OpenAI said more videos featuring Tendulkar and entrepreneur and creator Varun Mayya will be released in the coming days. The content will explore Tendulkar’s existing use of ChatGPT as well as ideas he wants to develop with the technology.

For OpenAI, the partnership comes as ChatGPT usage continues to expand in India. The company said the number of people using ChatGPT in the country has doubled compared with the previous year, although it did not provide a specific user figure in the announcement.

OpenAI said writing and communication, education and learning, and information seeking are among the most popular use cases for ChatGPT in India. The partnership is intended to build on those everyday applications by showing how AI can become part of learning, preparation, creativity and problem-solving.

Prabhjeet Singh, managing director – India, OpenAI, said AI could help people learn and explore more while attempting things that may previously have seemed out of reach. He said the partnership with Tendulkar was intended to give people a relatable starting point for experimenting with AI.

Tendulkar’s involvement also gives the campaign access to an audience spanning multiple generations. OpenAI is using his personal experience rather than presenting him simply as a celebrity ambassador, with the content centred on the questions he asks, the subjects he explores and the ways he incorporates ChatGPT into his routine.

The approach reflects a broader shift in how AI companies are presenting their products. As AI tools move from novelty chatbots towards assistants for research, planning, writing and creative work, demonstrating practical use cases can become as important as explaining the underlying technology.

For Indian users, the examples in the campaign range from the highly ordinary to the more exploratory: planning a holiday, finding cooking inspiration, learning about golf or cars, preparing for a speech and developing ideas. The message is that there does not have to be one prescribed way to start using AI.

With the partnership set to run across multiple campaigns, videos and experiences, the initial teaser is only the opening over. OpenAI and Tendulkar are now looking to turn curiosity into experimentation, with the cricket legend’s own questions providing a window into how AI can become another tool for learning and discovery.