ChatGPT Images 2.0 is very popular in India, but it is not a big winner elsewhere, yet

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 point to a more measured global response, with moderate overall growth accompanied by sharp increases in select emerging markets.

ChatGPT Images 2.0, the latest development of OpenAI’s image generation, is designed to handle complex commands and produce detailed visualizations, including accurate text across multiple languages. The company’s first patterns suggest users – especially in India, its largest market – use it to create personalized visuals such as avatars, stylized images, and fun themed images.

Data shared by Sensor Tower and Similarweb with TechCrunch suggests that the release led to a mixed global response. Downloads of the ChatGPT app rose 11% week over week following launch, according to Sensor Tower, but overall gains in engagement were modest, with daily active users and sessions up about 1%. The same web data also shows a limited increase in ChatGPT’s global web traffic, which is up about 1.6% week over week during the same period.

However, Sensor Tower data shows other emerging markets – including Pakistan, Vietnam, and Indonesia – saw sharp increases in ChatGPT app downloads, with up to 79% week-over-week increases during the release period.

India, on the other hand, remained a major source of employment during the outsourcing period. Sensor Tower estimates show that ChatGPT was downloaded about 5 million times in India during its launch week, compared to about 2 million in the US, although growth remained modest on a week-to-week basis. The same web data also shows a limited rise in engagement, with daily active users in India increasing by around 3.4% week over week during the same period.

In India, early trends suggest that ChatGPT Images 2.0 is widely used as a form of self-expression. Instead of practical effects, users create studio-style images from everyday photos, social media-friendly photos, and conceptual images that put themselves at the center, OpenAI said.

The early patterns also highlight how AI imaging tools are being adopted differently across markets. While India’s large user base is moving at full speed, sharp increases in countries like Pakistan and Indonesia point to strong demand from new users in emerging markets after the launch.

The launch of OpenAI’s Images 2.0 comes amid intensifying competition in AI image generation. Google’s previous photography-focused model, the original Nano Banana, also saw strong traction in India, showing how the country has become an important market for photography.

With the new release of ChatGPT graphics, OpenAI is moving forward with improvements such as better rendering of non-Latin text, including Hindi and Bengali, and a new “thinking” capability that allows it to improve results and generate more variations in a single notification.

Besides stylized images and avatars, OpenAI said that the first users of Images 2.0 in India are experimenting with a wide variety of formats – from stunning newspaper covers to tarot-style visualizations and fashion moodboards. Users are also using an AI tool to restore old photos and create cinematic photo collages, the company said, suggesting early patterns for more personalized use.