Source: AFP
US media giant NBCUniversal announced on Wednesday that it will use the AI version of a legendary sports broadcaster to narrate personalized daily recaps of Olympic events.
Narration by Hall of Fame announcer Al Michaels created using artificial intelligence will voice recaps that will be personalized to individual viewers of NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
Acclaimed broadcaster Michaels has worked a total of nine Olympics for NBC Sports and ABC Sports during his career, according to NBCUniversal.
“When I was approached about this, I was skeptical but obviously curious,” Michaels said in a release.
“Then I saw a demonstration detailing what they had in mind. I said ‘I’m in’.”
The AI was trained on Michaels’ voice along with his previous appearances on NBC shows, according to the company.
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“We’re bringing together the best sports with the best technology to give fans a personalized Olympic Games experience in a way that’s never been possible before,” Peacock president Kelly Campbell said in the announcement.
The partnership with Michaels comes as musicians, actors and others whose livelihoods depend on their likenesses or voices seek to ensure that AI models are not trained on such material without their permission.
NBCUniversal estimated that nearly 7 million different personalized versions of the daily Olympic coverage could be streamed in the United States during the Paris Olympics.
The technology will mine NBC Sports clips to create daily playlists showcasing highlights from the previous 24 hours and tease what’s in store for the next day.
A team of NBCUniversal editors will review all content for accuracy and quality assurance, the company said.
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![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/1dfd9c1a065f687e.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
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NBC and Peacock will present live coverage of the Olympics starting with the opening ceremony on July 26.
Source: AFP