New Delhi, January 16: In a move that signals a major escalation in the global AI race, US-based artificial intelligence startup Anthropic has appointed Irina Ghose as its first Managing Director for India. The announcement, made today, Friday, January 16, follows Ghose’s recent departure from Microsoft India, where she served as Managing Director and orchestrated the company’s enterprise AI strategy. Her appointment coincides with Anthropic's plans to officially open its first Indian headquarters in Bengaluru next month, marking a pivotal step as the company seeks to capitalise on its second-largest global user base.

A Strategic Hire for India’s AI Expansion

Irina Ghose brings over three decades of experience in the technology sector to Anthropic, the creator of the popular Claude AI model. During her 24-year tenure at Microsoft, Ghose was instrumental in leading digital transformation across high-impact sectors, including banking, healthcare, and government. Who Is Nisha Verma? All About Indian-American Doctor Who Went Viral After Being Asked ‘Can Men Get Pregnant?’ by US Senator Josh Hawley.

At Anthropic, her mandate will be to drive "applied AI" across the subcontinent. "India has a real opportunity to shape how AI is built and deployed at scale," Ghose said in a statement. She emphasised that Indian organisations are moving beyond experimentation toward a phase where "trust, safety, and long-term impact" are paramount - core values that align with Anthropic’s mission of building steerable and reliable AI systems.

Who Is Irina Ghose

Irina Ghose is a distinguished technology leader who was recently appointed as the first Managing Director for India at the US-based AI powerhouse Anthropic. A veteran of the Indian tech ecosystem, Ghose spent 24 years at Microsoft India, where she rose to the position of Managing Director and was a key architect of the company's enterprise AI and cloud strategies. An alumna of IIT BHU and XLRI Jamshedpur, Ghose is recognised for her expertise in scaling technology businesses across diverse sectors like healthcare, banking, and government. Beyond her corporate achievements, she is a marathon runner and a dedicated philanthropist, having founded the MyLittleBit foundation to empower underprivileged girls through STEM education and employment.

Bengaluru as a Global Hub

The hiring of Ghose is part of a broader "India First" strategy by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in late 2025 to discuss responsible AI governance.

New Headquarters: The Bengaluru office is set to open in February 2026, becoming Anthropic’s second Asia-Pacific location after Tokyo.

Economic Footprint: India currently ranks second only to the United States in usage of Claude.ai, with nearly half of that usage focused on highly technical tasks like mathematical modelling and software engineering.

Focus on Local Impact and Indic Languages

Under Ghose’s leadership, Anthropic plans to move beyond generic LLM offerings. The company is investing heavily in enhancing Claude’s performance across major Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, and Tamil.

The India team will focus on three key pillars:

Public Sector Partnerships: Working with government agencies to integrate AI into agriculture and public services.

Enterprise Safety: Helping Indian conglomerates deploy AI that meets rigorous security and ethical standards.

Social Impact: Collaborating with NGOs and academic institutions to apply AI in education and healthcare. Anthropic AI Launches ‘Integrations’ for Claude, Expands Research Capabilities With Advanced Mode To Include Web Search, Google Workspaces and More.

The Battle for the Indian Market

Anthropic’s aggressive entry into India comes as rivals like OpenAI and Google also intensify their local presence. The appointment of a seasoned veteran like Ghose, who has deep ties to India’s developer and corporate ecosystem, is seen by analysts as a strategic "coup" for Anthropic. As the Indian AI market is projected to reach USD 126 billion by 2030, the presence of local leadership is considered vital for navigating the country's unique regulatory and linguistic landscape.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2026 03:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).