In 2016, Mukesh Ambani changed how Indians consumed the internet. By making mobile data cheaper and more accessible, Reliance Jio rewrote the rules of India’s telecom industry.
A decade later, Ambani is pursuing an even bigger ambition. This time, the target is not data. It is intelligence itself.
Reliance Industries wants artificial intelligence to become as commonplace as mobile connectivity. The vision, unveiled during the company’s annual general meeting and reinforced through a series of announcements over the past few months, is simple but ambitious.
AI should be available inside calls, applications and homes, reaching hundreds of millions of users rather than remaining a premium service for a few.
Whether that ambition succeeds could determine India’s position in the global AI race.
Repeating the Jio Formula
The parallels with Jio’s telecom disruption are difficult to ignore.
Speaking at the AI Action Summit in February 2026, Ambani announced that Reliance would invest ₹10 lakh crore over seven years to build AI infrastructure and reduce what he called the “cost of intelligence.”
The phrase echoed Jio’s earlier mission of lowering the cost of data.
Instead of creating AI products aimed only at enterprises or tech enthusiasts, Reliance is trying to weave AI into everyday digital experiences.
According to TechCrunch, the company plans to introduce Jio Call Agent, an AI assistant embedded directly into voice calls. Users would be able to activate it with voice commands, summarise conversations and carry out tasks such as booking reservations and arranging transport.
The strategy reflects a belief that AI adoption will be driven less by standalone applications and more by seamless integration into services people already use.
Distribution Is A Strength
Many AI companies face the same challenge. They must first acquire users. Reliance does not.
Jio had more than 524 million wireless subscribers as of June 2026, making it India’s largest telecom operator. Reuters has reported that the company accounts for roughly 60 per cent of India’s mobile data traffic.
That scale gives Reliance a powerful advantage.
OpenAI, Google and Meta depend largely on apps and platforms to distribute their AI services. Jio already controls the connectivity layer itself.
If AI capabilities are integrated directly into voice calls, messaging and digital services, the company can potentially place those tools in front of hundreds of millions of users almost immediately.
In many ways, distribution may prove to be more valuable than the technology itself.
Building AI Infrastructure
Consumer products often attract attention, but the real investment is happening behind the scenes.
Artificial intelligence requires enormous computing power, data centres and access to advanced chips. Reliance has begun constructing large-scale AI infrastructure in Jamnagar and expects more than 120 megawatts of capacity to become operational during the second half of 2026.
The company is also working with Nvidia to develop AI infrastructure in India. The partnership is significant because AI competition increasingly revolves around access to computing resources rather than just algorithms.
Reliance’s annual report shows that its internal JioBrain platform is already being used for network planning, predictive maintenance and customer service operations.
The company has stated that it aims to deliver what it describes as the world’s lowest AI inferencing costs, although that remains an internal objective rather than an independently verified benchmark.
This infrastructure-first approach resembles strategies adopted by major global technology companies that have prioritised cloud computing and AI capacity before expanding consumer applications.
India Wants Sovereign AI
Ambani’s AI push is also shaped by geopolitics.
He has repeatedly argued that India cannot afford to “rent intelligence” from overseas companies. The concern is increasingly shared by governments around the world, which are investing in domestic AI capabilities to reduce dependence on foreign technologies.
Reliance has said it intends to build AI systems supporting 22 Indian languages, addressing a challenge that many global models still struggle with.
For India, language diversity represents more than a technical issue. It determines whether AI adoption extends beyond English-speaking urban consumers and reaches the broader population.
The effort aligns with a wider movement towards sovereign AI, where countries seek control over computing infrastructure, data and foundational technologies.
Investors Watch Closely
Vision alone will not justify a ₹10 lakh crore investment. Eventually, Reliance must demonstrate how AI becomes a profitable business. Several opportunities are emerging.
Enterprise AI services represent one avenue. Companies across sectors are increasingly adopting AI for automation and analytics. Cloud infrastructure and computing services could provide another source of revenue, particularly as demand for AI workloads rises.
Consumer subscriptions may eventually generate income, while AI agents integrated into communications and digital services could create entirely new business models.
Investors are watching closely because Jio Platforms is preparing for what Reuters has described as a potential $3.8 billion initial public offering through the sale of up to 270 million shares.
The AI narrative could help position Jio not merely as a telecom company but as a digital infrastructure and technology business, categories that typically command higher valuations.
Competition is Intensifying
Reliance is entering a crowded battlefield.
Microsoft and OpenAI continue to deepen their partnership. Google is embedding Gemini across its ecosystem. Meta is investing heavily in open-source AI models.
Within India, Bharti Airtel has also expanded its AI capabilities through strategic partnerships.
The competition highlights a crucial reality. Success in AI will not be determined solely by who builds the most powerful models. Distribution, infrastructure and ecosystem control are becoming equally important.
Those are areas where Reliance believes it possesses structural advantages.
Privacy Questions Remain
The prospect of AI embedded inside calls and daily communications also raises important questions.
Consumers and regulators are increasingly focused on consent, data protection and transparency. India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act has established a framework for safeguarding personal information, and AI-driven communication services are likely to face greater scrutiny as they become more widespread.
Trust may ultimately prove just as important as technology.
If users are uncomfortable with AI analysing conversations or handling sensitive information, adoption could slow despite technical advances.
A New Digital Gamble?
When Reliance launched Jio in 2016, many observers questioned whether giving away cheap data made economic sense.
History eventually answered that question. Now Ambani is attempting something far more difficult.
He is not simply trying to build another AI application. He is attempting to lower the cost of intelligence itself and embed it across India’s digital ecosystem.
The stakes are enormous. Reliance’s FY25 consolidated revenue stood at ₹10.71 lakh crore, according to the company’s annual report. The proposed AI investment over seven years is therefore comparable to an entire year’s revenue spread across a much longer period.
That scale underscores the seriousness of the bet. Ten years ago, cheap data transformed India into one of the world’s largest digital markets. The next decade may reveal whether affordable intelligence can do the same.
