JioStar to hire 80 AI specialists as streaming platform doubles down on AI-generated content

JioStar Expands AI-Generated Content Push After Debut Success

JioStar, the streaming platform backed by Reliance and Disney, is preparing to significantly expand its use of AI-generated content following the unexpected success of its first experiment. The joint venture plans to hire between 75 and 80 AI specialists and engineers to develop a slate of series written, animated, voiced, and edited entirely by artificial intelligence for its JioHotstar platform 1

1

2

2

. The media and entertainment group sees this as a way to dramatically reduce production costs while serving its massive audience of 451 million monthly active users 2

2

.

Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh Proves Audience Appetite

The company's confidence stems from the performance of Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh, a 100-episode AI-made series that retold the 2,500-year-old Kurukshetra War from Hindu epic Mahabharat. The series garnered 6.5 million views on its debut day in October—more than double the streaming platform's average viewership 1

1

. This strong performance convinced executives that AI in content creation represents a viable commercial opportunity, particularly for short-form videos consumed on mobile phones across India's vast market.

Building a Dedicated AI Division for Entertainment

JioStar is now building a new division dedicated to generative AI and machine learning, recruiting engineers, researchers, designers, and product specialists 2

2

. The company appointed Stephan Bugaj, an award-winning veteran screenwriter and former executive at Pixar, Telltale Games, and Genvid Entertainment, as Senior Vice President for Generative AI Content and Technology earlier this year 1

1

2

2

. His mandate includes developing AI-assisted content pipelines, interactive storytelling formats, and new entertainment experiences. The team is currently scouting for talent, with several roles based in Bengaluru focused on developing LLM applications, recommendation systems, conversational interfaces, and generative media technologies 2

2

.

AI-Powered Projects in Development Pipeline

JioStar is developing several AI-powered projects including the TV series Makaraj, a feature film titled Hanuman centered on the monkey god from the epic Ramayana, and several micro-dramas 1

1

. This broader rollout would make JioStar the first major mainstream studio in India to release multiple AI-generated series, though some smaller production houses have already begun using AI for micro-dramas and movies. The company's FY26 annual report indicates plans to integrate AI across content creation, personalization, localization, and audience engagement 2

2

.

Quality Concerns and Cultural Pushback

Despite the commercial success, the Generative AI content strategy faces criticism. Some audience members have labeled the Mahabharat series as "AI slop," complaining that the production lacked heart and human touch despite its visual ambition 1

1

. Viewers catalogued glitches including warriors rendered with six or seven fingers and distorted faces. Additionally, some have criticized the use of AI to adapt culturally significant stories 2

2

. However, the company views these issues as solvable problems, pointing to new technologies that can help address inconsistent and sloppy output 1

1

.

India and China Lead While Hollywood Resists

Production houses in India and China are moving quickly to use AI in content creation to satisfy hundreds of millions of viewers who consume short-form videos on mobile phones. This stands in contrast with Hollywood, where actors, animators, and directors have shown significant resistance to AI use, worried that AI-generated movies and shows could devalue original work and affect livelihoods 1

1

. JioStar's aggressive push into AI-generated content represents a test case for whether audiences will accept machine-made entertainment at scale, and whether production costs savings will outweigh concerns about quality and cultural authenticity.