OpenAI and Reliance Partner to Bring AI Search to JioHotstar
OpenAI is collaborating with Reliance to integrate conversational AI technology into the JioHotstar streaming service. The initiative aims to transform how viewers navigate content by enabling text and voice-based queries in multiple languages.
Beyond standard search, the integration will provide personalized content recommendations tailored to individual user history and preferences. This functionality covers both on-demand entertainment and live sports coverage, according to the companies.
A Two-Way Discovery Experience
The partnership extends beyond the JioHotstar application. The companies intend to incorporate the streaming platform’s catalogue directly into ChatGPT. This creates a reciprocal discovery layer, where users searching for entertainment within the AI chatbot can receive contextual suggestions and deep links that lead directly to the JioHotstar platform.
Fidji Simo, chief executive of applications at OpenAI, noted that the collaboration focuses on delivering personalized AI experiences. The goal is to allow viewers to transition “from curiosity to context” through natural language interactions.
Uday Shankar, vice chairperson of JioStar, added that embedding artificial intelligence into content discovery will fundamentally reshape how audiences engage with programming.
Expanding Footprint in India
The announcement took place at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, an event featuring industry figures such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, and Google’s Sundar Pichai. This project is a key component of the “OpenAI for India” initiative, which seeks to deepen the company’s involvement in the region through:
- Infrastructure development and enterprise partnerships, including collaborations with the Tata Group on AI-ready data centers.
- Educational initiatives and deployments with local firms such as Pine Labs, Eternal, and MakeMyTrip.
OpenAI currently serves more than 100 million weekly ChatGPT users in India. To support this growth, the company plans to establish new offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru later this year, expanding its existing presence in New Delhi.
Industry Shift Toward Conversational Interfaces
This integration reflects a broader industry trend of streaming platforms adopting conversational AI to improve user experience. Major competitors have already begun similar implementations:
- In May 2025, Netflix began testing a search interface powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT to assist users in finding content.
- Google introduced Gemini-powered discovery features for its Google TV platform in November.