JioStar Bets Big on AI Content With New Series Lineup
Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s streaming service, JioStar is gearing up to wholeheartedly adopt AI-generated content, following its initial trial — a computer-generated rendition of a 2,500-year-old battle saga — which has convinced leaders that there's genuine profit in this concept.
JioStar, a collaboration between Reliance Industries Ltd. and Walt Disney Co., intends to produce a lineup of series crafted, animated, voiced, and edited solely by artificial intelligence for its JioHotstar platform.
Also Read: India's AI Data Centres May Deploy Up to 700,000 GPUs in 5 Years
Production companies in India and China are rapidly adopting AI for content creation to cater to their hundreds of millions of viewers who eagerly consume short-form videos on mobile devices.
This differs from Hollywood, where actors, animators, and directors have shown notable opposition to the implementation of AI. They are concerned that movies and shows created by AI might undermine the worth of their original creations and impact their income.
Jiostar’s decision comes after the company’s surprisingly successful venture into the format, through an AI-generated version of the Indian epic Mahabharat, which received 6.5 million views on its launch day in October — over twice the streaming platform’s typical average.
Also Read: Reliance Eyes FMCG Growth through Acquisitions and Expansion
The 100-episode series, Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh, narrated the story of the Kurukshetra War, a familial battle between the Kauravas and the Pandavas that lies at the center of one of Hinduism's revered texts.
The company is working on multiple AI-driven entertainment initiatives, such as the television series Makaraj, a feature film titled Hanuman, and several micro-dramas, according to reports. Hanuman focuses on the monkey deity from the epic Ramayana, celebrated by Hindus who regard him as the epitome of devotion, fidelity, and power.
An expanded launch would establish JioStar as the first prominent mainstream studio in India to produce several AI-generated series, while some smaller production companies have already employed AI for micro-dramas and films.
Earlier this year, JioStar recruited Stephan Bugaj, a seasoned and award-winning US screenwriter and content producer, to lead its strategy for Generative AI content. The group he manages is presently searching for talent.
Certain audience members have expressed their discontent with JioStar’s recent Mahabharat series, labeling it as “AI slop” and lamenting that the production lacked soul and human touch, despite its visual aspirations. A number of people documented the errors: fighters depicted with six or seven fingers and warped faces, among other anomalies.
Also Read: DBJ Partners With HDFC Capital to Invest in Housing Projects
The company views the challenges as addressable problems, with those in the know highlighting emerging technologies that can assist in resolving issues related to inconsistent and careless results.