New Delhi, March 26 -- OpenAI is sharpening its focus on the Asia-Pacific with the appointment of Kiran Mani as managing director for the region, a newly created role that signals how central the market has become to its global plans.

Mani, currently CEO at JioStar, will take on the role in June, relocating to Singapore and reporting to Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon.The move comes at a time when AI companies are no longer just building models; they are racing to localise adoption, scale users, and build ecosystems in high-growth markets.

Asia-Pacific is not a new market for OpenAI, but it is quickly becoming a decisive one.India alone, with over 100 million weekly ChatGPT users, has emerged as a key demand centre spanning students, ...