An AI Guide to Smarter Holidays
Russian media holding ON Media has begun testing the country’s first AI-powered lifestyle guide that automatically generates personalized leisure recommendations. It can help users find a good movie, build a playlist, or suggest where to go over the upcoming weekend.
A New Year’s Lifestyle Experiment
Long holiday breaks no longer need careful planning. The AI guide takes that role on itself. Testing begins with a seasonal feature called “Lifestyle 2.0. New Year Edition,” designed to help users navigate events and shopping options through January 11.
Users can be confident that recommendations will stay relevant. The service is powered by Cotype, a high-performance Russian AI model developed by MWS AI and ranked among the country’s top three domestic AI systems. The model analyzes user activity, identifies behavioral patterns, and builds personalized selections. These include films, TV series, music, books, concerts, as well as cultural and sports events.
The guide will not suggest a New Year fitness marathon if a user does not exercise, nor recommend opera if the user has never shown interest in it. After learning individual preferences, the system selects only content that aligns with prior positive engagement. If a user has children, the AI assistant adjusts accordingly, offering children’s books, lullaby playlists, and age-appropriate activities.
Zero-Search as a Product Philosophy
Recommendations will refresh automatically once per day, with a transition to real-time updates planned. Users will also be able to manually adjust thematic filters.
According to ON Media, themed selections will be accessible through content cards on the website and in the KION app, via banners in the KION Lines web and mobile versions, and through stories and banners in the KION Music app.
Vyacheslav Karnaushevsky, head of cross-service synergy at ON Media, described the project as an experiment built around the zero-search concept. The goal is to shorten the path between users and relevant entertainment while increasing engagement. A full rollout of the recommendation service for MTS subscribers is scheduled for 2026.
Personalization as the New Baseline
Industry experts agree that AI-driven personal content generators represent the future. Reducing hours of manual online searching is a problem developers across sectors are trying to solve. This extends beyond weekend entertainment. For example, students from Samara University and Yuri Gagarin Saratov State Technical University are developing a travel and leisure planning app based on a new geosocial network called Strollie.
The platform aims to combine all key trip-planning elements in one place. According to its developers, it is not just a navigator but a full digital ecosystem for travelers. Covering routes, events, and attractions across Russia, it offers personalized recommendations based on user preferences and constraints. Artificial intelligence processes user inputs and suggests options aligned with the purpose of the trip.
The broader trend toward personalization reflects the rapid expansion of AI features across apps, browsers, and media platforms.
ON Media’s AI guide represents the first case of a major Russian media holding introducing automated, personalized entertainment planning. The move raises the bar for user experience in digital services. Using a domestic AI model strengthens Russia’s neural network ecosystem and reduces dependence on foreign technologies.
The project also reinforces the position of Russian companies in consumer IT products. Looking ahead, a full-scale AI ecosystem of personal entertainment and lifestyle advisors is likely to emerge, with other Russian media groups expected to join the effort.
