ChatGPT Images 2.0 sees mixed global adoption despite India surge

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Images 2.0, its image-generation model. On Thursday, OpenAI stated that India has emerged as the largest user base for the tool since its launch last week. However, third-party data points to a more measured global response, showing limited overall growth alongside sharp spikes in select emerging markets. During the launch week, ChatGPT was downloaded about 5 million times in India, compared with roughly 2 million downloads in the U.S., highlighting the difference in initial adoption between the two markets.

According to data from mobile app analytics firm Sensor Tower and digital intelligence company Similarweb, the global response to the rollout has been mixed. While overall engagement gains were modest, specific emerging markets experienced sharp spikes in app downloads during the rollout period.

The key metrics from the launch week include:

• ChatGPT app downloads grew 11% week-over-week (WoW)—comparing data between consecutive weeks—globally.
• Global daily active users (DAU)—a metric for app engagement—and sessions grew only around 1%.
• Global web traffic rose about 1.6% week-over-week.
• App downloads in select emerging markets, including Pakistan, Vietnam, and Indonesia, saw spikes of up to 79% week-over-week.
• In India, daily active users rose about 3.4% week-over-week during the same period.

In India, early trends suggest that ChatGPT Images 2.0 is largely being used as a form of self-expression. OpenAI asserted that users are utilizing the tool to create personal visuals, such as studio-style portraits, avatars, and fashion moodboards, rather than purely functional outputs. This rollout comes amid intensifying competition in the AI image-generation space. Google’s image-focused model, Nano Banana, previously saw strong early traction in India, indicating that the country has become an important market for image generation. With the new release, OpenAI is improving the rendering of non-Latin text, such as Hindi and Bengali.

Why it matters

The rollout of ChatGPT Images 2.0 illustrates how AI image tools are being adopted differently across markets, with India serving as a critical hub while other regions show more measured growth.