JioHotstar rolls out ChatGPT-powered voice and text search in India via OpenAI

New Delhi: JioHotstar has added a ChatGPT-powered voice and text interface that lets users search and browse its catalogue through natural language prompts, including multilingual queries, using OpenAI APIs.

The feature is aimed at improving content discovery beyond keyword search and menu-led navigation. Users can speak or type what they want to watch, including mood or context, and receive recommendations that are presented as conversational responses.

The partnership is also being positioned as a two-way integration. Beyond in-app discovery, JioHotstar and OpenAI said they will introduce new experiences within ChatGPT itself. 

Users who ask ChatGPT entertainment-related questions will receive contextual recommendations and relevant JioHotstar streaming links, extending discovery outside the JioHotstar app.

The move adds to a wider push by streamers to reduce “what to watch” friction as libraries grow and viewing shifts across languages and formats. 

JioHotstar said its rollout is meant to make discovery more context-aware and personalised, and to support multilingual interaction at scale. 

The company also indicated that as streaming matures in India, differentiation will increasingly hinge on systems that interpret user intent in real time, including in high-frequency discovery moments tied to commerce-led formats.

Uday Shankar, Vice Chairman of JioStar, said, "AI marks a transformative shift for the media and entertainment industry. It fundamentally disrupts every aspect of the value chain, from conceptualisation and production to discovery and monetisation. As a tech-native, user-first platform, JioStar is embedding AI at the very core of the user experience. Our partnership with OpenAI will allow viewers to discover, engage with, and even curate content simply using their voice. This is a fundamental reimagining of the entertainment experience; one that anticipates culture and feels deeply personal to every viewer”

“Traditionally, entertainment is a one-way experience where you passively consume content - AI completely changes that dynamic.” said Fidji Simo, CEO, Applications, OpenAI. “Through our partnership with JioHotstar, we’re bringing personalised AI directly into entertainment and live sports, turning every moment into an opportunity for deeper engagement. Viewers can move seamlessly from watching to asking, from curiosity to context, and from exploration to recommendation in ways that feel natural, personal, and immediately useful.”