AI Sports Commentary: The Futuristic Voice of Sports

AI Can Perform Many Tasks Do We Really Need It For Commentary Too?

Sports broadcasting pumps adrenaline into the hearts of millions of fans worldwide, delivering the electrifying action and emotions of their favourite games.

Key players in this thrilling world are the sports commentators, offering narration, analysis, and commentary that elevate the viewing experience. But hey, what if human commentators aren’t always available, affordable, or covering every event?

Enter the game-changer: artificial intelligence (AI) commentary!

AI commentary is a brand-new technology that uses super-smart AI algorithms to generate audio commentary for sports events. It pulls data and info from various sources to create a fast, affordable, and consistent alternative to human commentators.

Think more coverage, more languages, and some seriously cool features like stats, facts, trivia, and predictions. Don’t expect this all to happen live though, well yet anyways.

Let’s Unpack AI Commentary

Picture this: AI using natural language processing (NLP) and deep learning to process data from footage, cameras, websites, and more. The AI algorithms then cook up natural-sounding sentences that describe what’s happening in the game. And just like magic, these sentences turn into audio speech that sounds as real as your favourite sports caster.

We have already seen how tools like Microsoft’s VALL-E have the ability to clone peoples voices. So maybe we might have some very strange commentaries in the future picture your favorite game mixed with the voice of your favorite actor. Well we already have Virtual partners so why not?

AI commentary is as versatile as your favorite sports shoes. You can tweak it to match your language, style, and even the kind of vibe you want in your sports coverage. Plus, it’s interactive! Got questions or want something specific? Just ask, and AI’s got your back.

Let's Unpack AI Commentary — Whatever the sport AI can react on the data about the event

The Winning Perks of AI Commentary

There are some benefits when it comes to using AI commentary, here are some examples:

More Game Time: AI commentary covers events that might fly under the radar of human commentators. So say hello to sports you love, even if they’re not as mainstream.
Score with Savings: By ditching the need for human commentators, AI helps lower the costs of sports broadcasting. More games, less budget!
Consistency Guaranteed: No off-days for AI commentary! It delivers top-notch quality every time, regardless of where or when the event takes place.
Playful Insights: Beyond the basics, AI commentary brings in extra goodies like stats, trivia, and predictions. It’s like having a sports guru at your service.

We still feel this new type of technology does have a long way to go before it becomes useable on a much larger scale. Examples of it so far have been a little bit robotic and clunky.

Facing Off Against the Challenges

There are some issues with using AI to create commentary. Here is some key examples of this:

Missing That Human Touch: AI may not match human commentators’ creativity or adaptability. Some moments need that human touch, like jokes and improvisations.
Trust Factor: Fans might stick to human commentators they trust and admire, even if AI brings some impressive perks.
Working on Perfecting the Score: While AI gets the job done, it might not always nail that seamless, natural-sounding speech. Glitches and delays might pop up.

Only time will tell if developers manage to perfect this system. Personally we prefer the human touch. Let’s see how well this new tech evolves over the next few years. Let’s face it AI is not perfect and does have some issues.

Some Examples of AI Commentary

Here are some situations where this new technology was used:

Wimbledon 2023: This prestigious tennis tournament used AI-generated audio commentary for video highlights. IBM’s generative AI platform, watsonx, made it happen in English.

Masters Golf 2023: The major golf tournament rocked AI commentary for over 20,000 video clips on its app. IBM’s watsonx2 delivered the goods in English.

European Athletics Team Championships 2023: This sport relied on an AI voice to provide recaps alongside live commentary in Poland. The English AI voice was created by Synthesia.

The Winning Perks of AI Commentary — AI could create false events

Conclusion

AI commentary has the potential to revolutionize sports broadcasting, offering a futuristic twist to how we enjoy games.

Look let’s face It, it’s not perfect and has some challenges to overcome, but it could be here to stay. So, get ready to welcome the AI commentator to your sports-watching team! As technology keeps evolving, AI will continue to shape our sports-viewing experience, bringing us closer to the games we love.

We already wrote about how AI can predit songs that are going to be in the top 100 charts. Could AI one day predict the big game results too, if so would we really want it to?