As India looks for a homegrown player to compete in the global artificial intelligence arena, billionaire Mukesh Ambani is steering Reliance Industries toward becoming a national frontrunner by introducing AI services for phone calls, mobile apps, and smart homes. During its annual shareholder meeting on Friday, the Mumbai-based conglomerate unveiled Jio Call Agent, an AI assistant capable of joining phone calls to transcribe conversations, create summaries, and handle tasks like booking cabs, ordering food, and making reservations. This service, triggered by saying “Hey Jio,” is slated to launch later this year for Jio’s more than 500 million users. By integrating the assistant directly into its telecom network instead of offering it as a standalone app, Jio aims to make AI support a built-in feature of phone calls. This strategy could reduce users' dependence on third-party call-assistant apps and give Reliance a significant distribution edge in the increasingly competitive AI market. Reliance also revealed an AI-enhanced version of its MyJio app, which can execute tasks such as activating eSIMs or selecting roaming plans through natural-language commands. Additionally, the company introduced TeleFrame, a home display that uses AI agents to proactively offer information and recommendations, including weather alerts, schedules, and household reminders. This product aligns with a broader industry trend toward ambient AI assistants for the home, an area being explored by companies like Amazon and Google.

These announcements represent the next step in Reliance’s AI ambitions as India works to build domestic capabilities in a field largely dominated by U.S. and Chinese tech firms. The push follows last year’s launch of Reliance Intelligence, through which the conglomerate aims to create AI infrastructure and services for consumers, businesses, and governments, including applications supporting 22 Indian languages. “India should not be a mere consumer of AI created elsewhere. It must become a creator, adopter, and a global leader in AI,” said Ambani, 69. Reliance has been accelerating its AI efforts through partnerships with Google, Meta, and Nvidia. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to invest $110 billion in AI infrastructure as it seeks to establish itself as a major force in India’s developing AI ecosystem. At the shareholder meeting, Reliance also introduced a range of AI services for healthcare, education, agriculture, and small businesses. These products, branded JioHealthIQ, JioLearnIQ, JioKrishiIQ, and AI Vyapar, are designed to work across multiple Indian languages and address local needs, according to the company. The meeting also brought significant news for investors awaiting Jio’s stock market debut. Ambani stated that Jio Platforms’ board had approved a draft prospectus for an initial public offering, which would include a fresh issue of up to 270 million shares, as per a stock exchange filing. The announcements also raise questions about how Reliance will manage user data as it expands AI services across phone calls, mobile apps, and connected homes. While the company noted that the services would operate with user consent, it did not clarify whether data generated through these products could be used to train AI models or shared with technology partners. Reliance’s AI push comes as Indian companies remain heavily dependent on foreign AI models and cloud providers. Recent restrictions on access to some of Anthropic’s latest models have highlighted this reliance, demonstrating how overseas decisions can impact startups and businesses building AI products in India—a supply-chain risk that is driving Indian conglomerates to develop their own stacks rather than relying on others. Last week, Reliance announced a collaboration with Meta to establish an AI data center in the western state of Gujarat, building on Meta’s earlier investment in Jio Platforms and a joint venture launched last year to create AI solutions for enterprise customers in India and abroad. Reliance is not alone in pursuing AI opportunities. Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, and rival Adani Group have also expanded their AI initiatives and partnerships with global players, including Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI, as India’s largest corporations race to secure a leading role in the country’s AI future. However, for Reliance, the stakes are especially high; it is preparing Jio for a long-awaited stock market debut and needs new growth drivers, with the conglomerate’s shares down about 17% this year.