Multilingual Cognitive Search Changes How India Watches, JioHotstar and OpenAI Collaborate 

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Streaming in India is about to get a lot more talkative. On February 19, 2026, JioHotstar announced a massive partnership with OpenAI. They are bringing ChatGPT right into the app. This isn't just a regular search bar anymore. It is called “Multilingual Cognitive Search.” It means you can talk to your TV or phone in your own language. You don't have to scroll for hours to find a movie. You can just say what you want. But it’s not just about titles. You can tell the AI your mood or who you are with.

JioHotstar has a huge library. They have 300,000 hours of content in 19 languages. With over 450 million users, it is hard to suggest the right show to everyone. Sam Altman’s OpenAI is the partner for this. The AI will understand context. If you say, “My parents are visiting, show me something clean,” it will know what to do. It won't just look for the word “parents.” It will understand the cultural vibe of India. And it works for live sports too. You can ask for scores or player stats while the game is on.

Uday Shankar from JioStar says this is a total rethink of entertainment. He thinks AI will change everything from making movies to selling them. Fidji Simo from OpenAI says TV has been a one-way street for too long. Now, it is a conversation. You can move from watching to asking questions instantly. This makes the app feel like a personal assistant. They are also linking this with the regular ChatGPT app. So if you ask for a movie there, it will give you a link to JioHotstar.

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The rollout starts in small steps. First, it will be on select live events. Then it will go to all movies. Reliance is also putting 4,000 crore rupees into South Indian shows. So the AI will have even more to suggest. This deal makes JioHotstar the smartest app in India.