By the end of 2025, Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a technical tool, it is starting to become a part of thinking, planning and communication. A glimpse of this change is clearly visible in the year 2025 with OpenAI’s new feature ChatGPT. The feature summarizes a user’s AI usage over the course of a year and shows where their usage patterns stand globally, but the implications are much deeper, especially in a country like India.
India today is among the largest ChatGPT user groups in the world. According to estimates, India’s share in global users is between 12 to 15 percent. This means that the number of active AI users in the country could be around 3.5 to 4.5 crore. Of these, only the top 1 percent of users are the ones whose AI use stands out in terms of sustainability depth and level of strategic thinking, with even within this category use to governance policy and urban planning still very limited.
Data-based studies show that the use of AI is no longer limited to quick information or simple questions. There are some users who have been using AI in a deep and structured manner continuously for months. This use is especially visible in topics to policy, urban development planning, environment and public interest. Such users do not ask questions, but create discussions.
The recap data points to an interesting pattern. Such thoughtful users are very few among the total users but their engagement is much deeper. This is the same ‘long-tail’ digital pattern seen on large platforms, where the majority have limited use and only a few engage deeply. The same is happening with AI.
In this study, Bhopal has been seen as a capital-based example. A city where heritage. Striking a balance between the environment and future needs is a daily challenge. Indications to the recap show that in such cities AI is gradually becoming a supporting tool for thinking, planning and communication. It is not only providing technical help but is also becoming a means of understanding the decision-making process. The study is based on the interpretation of AI platform-generated data and public contexts by Manoj Meek, Chairman of CREDAI and Founder of the ‘Kamal Ka Bhopal’ citizen campaign. According to the AI data, Manoj Meek is among the top 1 per cent of ChatGPT users globally and falls in the category of 3.6 per cent strategic users. But he sees it not as a personal achievement but as a civic responsibility where AI is a medium to improve public discourse.
