ChatGPT developer OpenAI has hired its first employee in India, appointing a head of government relations just as the country votes to form a new administration aimed at shaping artificial intelligence regulations in the country. most populous country in the world.
The Microsoft Corp.-backed company has hired Pragya Misra to lead public policy affairs and partnerships in India, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named because The appointment has not yet been made public. Misra, 39, previously worked at Truecaller AB and Meta Platforms Inc. and will start working at OpenAI at the end of the month.
The hiring highlights the innovative AI company’s efforts to promote favorable rules as governments around the world consider how to regulate the rapidly evolving technology. India – with 1.4 billion people and a fast-growing economy – is a major growth opportunity for global technology companies, but it is also a difficult opportunity to navigate because of the challenges of regulators and regulators. Regulators are looking to ensure local companies are not crushed.
OpenAI representatives did not respond to a request for comment outside of regular U.S. business hours. Misra did not immediately respond to a LinkedIn message.
Misra previously headed public affairs at Stockholm-based transaction contact verification company Truecaller, which counts India as a top market. Before that, she worked at Meta Platforms Inc., where she led WhatsApp’s campaign against misinformation in 2018.
In India, OpenAI faces competition from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which is developing an AI model specifically for the country. Its products will be able to handle more than 100 local languages in speech and text, a push that will expand Internet access beyond the country’s urban English-speaking minority.
Countries like India should support AI research in ways that can improve government services like healthcare, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said during a visit to India last year.
“The main thing I think is important is figuring out how to integrate these technologies into other services,” Altman said at the time. “That’s an area where I think governments are behind and don’t have the answers.”
Altman, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit, also said that India was an early adopter of its ChatGPT AI service.
Altman has previously called for more regulation and said his “biggest fear” is that the technology will cause significant harm. He also said that major regulatory changes are not necessary for current versions of the technology, but will be soon.
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