India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0 since its launch last week, OpenAI said on Thursday. However, third-party data reviewed by TechCrunch points to a more measured global response, with limited overall growth alongside sharp increases in select growth markets.
ChatGPT Images 2.0, OpenAI’s latest image generation upgrade, is designed to handle more complex prompts and produce detailed images, including accurate text across multiple languages. Early patterns from the company suggest that users — especially in India, its biggest market — are using it to create personal images such as avatars, stylized portraits and fantasy-themed images.
Data shared by Sensor Tower and Similarweb with TechCrunch suggests the rollout has led to a more mixed global response. ChatGPT’s app downloads increased 11% week-over-week after launch, per Sensor Tower, but overall engagement gains were modest, with daily active users and sessions only up around 1%. Similar web data also shows a limited increase in ChatGPT’s global web traffic, which was up about 1.6% week-over-week during the same period.
However, Sensor Tower data indicates that some emerging markets – including Pakistan, Vietnam and Indonesia – saw sharper increases in ChatGPT’s app downloads, with increases of up to 79% week-over-week during the rollout period.
India, meanwhile, remained a major source of activity during the rollout. Sensor Tower estimates show that ChatGPT was downloaded around 5 million times in India during its launch week, compared to around 2 million in the US, although growth remained modest on a week-over-week basis. Similar web data also points to a limited increase in engagement, with daily active users in India increasing around 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. Instead of purely functional outputs, users create studio-style portraits from everyday photos, social media-ready photos and imaginative images that place themselves at the center, OpenAI said.
The early patterns also highlight how AI imaging tools are being used differently across markets. While India’s large user base is driving the overall scale, sharper increases in countries like Pakistan and Indonesia point to stronger demand for new users in emerging markets post-launch.
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OpenAI’s Images 2.0 launch comes amid heightened competition in AI image generation. Google’s previous image-focused model, the original Nano Banana, also saw strong early traction in India, indicating how the nation has become an important market for image generation.
With the new release of ChatGPT Images, OpenAI pushes forward with improvements such as better rendering of non-Latin text, including Hindi and Bengali, and new “think” features that allow refining output and generating more variations from a single prompt.
In addition to stylized portraits and avatars, OpenAI said early Images 2.0 users in India are experimenting with a wider range of formats — from fantasy newspaper covers to tarot-style visuals and fashion mood boards. Users are also using the AI ​​tool to restore older photos and create cinematic portrait collages, the company said, suggesting early patterns for more personal use.
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