As India accelerates its efforts to build indigenous AI capabilities, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries is pushing Jio to the forefront. The company's latest product launches, covering phones, mobile applications, and home devices, aim to directly embed AI into everyday usage scenarios.

Jio integrates AI into the telephone network

Reliance Industries has announced Jio Call Agent, an AI assistant that can join phone calls, transcribe conversations, generate summaries, and perform tasks such as ordering rides, ordering food, and making reservations. Users can activate the service by waking up "Hey Jio" with their voice.

Unlike typical standalone applications, Jio plans to integrate this capability directly into telecommunications networks, rather than launching a separate call assistant app. For Jio, with over 500 million users, this means its AI services can be rapidly distributed through existing communication gateways, potentially reducing users' reliance on third-party call assistants. The service is expected to launch later this year.

MyJio and home devices are upgraded simultaneously.

The company also launched an AI-powered version of the MyJio app. Users can make requests via natural language, and the system will handle tasks such as eSIM activation and roaming plan selection on their behalf.

Another new product is TeleFrame. This is a display terminal designed for home use, featuring a built-in AI agent that can proactively push weather reminders, schedule information, and family memos. This approach aligns with the home AI assistant strategies being explored by companies like Amazon and Google, with the focus on continuously integrating AI into everyday life.

Competition in the domestic AI market is heating up.

These announcements are an extension of Reliance Industries' AI initiative. Last year, the company launched Reliance Intelligence, aiming to build AI infrastructure and services for consumers, businesses, and governments, supporting 22 Indian languages. Ambani stated that India should not only use AI developed overseas, but should also become a developer, adopter, and global player in AI.

To advance this goal, Reliance Industries has been collaborating with Google, Meta, and Nvidia, and earlier this year announced plans to invest $110 billion in AI infrastructure. Last week, the company announced a partnership with Meta to build an AI data center in Gujarat, continuing their previous collaboration on Jio Platforms and enterprise AI solutions.

However, as AI services expand into calls, apps, and home devices, data usage has become a concern. Reliance Industries stated that the services will operate with user consent, but did not specify whether the data generated by these products will be used to train AI models or shared with technology partners.

Additional information:Besides Reliance Industries, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, and Adani Group are also expanding their AI collaborations and investments. For Reliance Industries, which is preparing for Jio's IPO, AI is also part of its search for new growth drivers.