India, Nov. 6 -- OpenAI's "Go" tier is free for a year for the Indian users. The announcement created a ripple. Despite zero cost, the plan offers "10x more messages and image uploads," and access to an advanced model, whose features were behind paywalls. It is a Rs4,788 freebie. According to TechCrunch, OpenAI's ChatGPT app recorded more than 29 million downloads over the past quarter in India, but in-app purchases were a mere $3.5 million. The gap between adoption and monetisation is palpable. Hence, through the free plan, OpenAI aims to convert usage-curiosity into paying-loyalty.

Like Reliance Jio's free voice and data offer in 2016, which rewired the mobile usage economics, OpenAI's gambit is about creating a market at the expense o...