Wimbledon and IBM have partnered to introduce AI commentary for online highlight reels, with the aim of eventually providing AI commentary during live matches. According to Usama Al-Qassab, the Director of Marketing & Commercial at Wimbledon (AELTC), 2023 will mark the inaugural year of utilizing AI Commentary in tennis. This innovation aims to offer captivating digital experiences of Wimbledon to fans worldwide, regardless of their location. The introduction of Artificial Intelligence commentators has generated mixed reactions among fans and experts.
The Rise of Bland and Safe Announcers
In recent years, sports broadcasting has undergone a shift, as beloved announcers retire or pass away, giving way to a new wave of broadcasters. The hiring of these new broadcasters focuses on ensuring their unobtrusiveness, with an emphasis on uniformity of accents and a corporate goal of preventing any controversy or criticism. However, the shift has led to a decline in distinctive sports broadcasting personalities, as the focus is on avoiding drawing attention.
AI Commentary and Corporate Contracts
The shift to AI announcers is influenced by broadcasting homogenization and corporate contracts between networks and sports leagues. ESPN and Fox signed billion-dollar deals with leagues, granting them more control over game presentation. Regional networks partially owned by teams are also less likely to allow broadcasters to criticize their team. This has led to the exploration of Artificial Intelligence as a way to further control the narrative and protect brand interests. AI announcers offer consistent, unbiased broadcasting and allow networks and leagues to retain narrative control.
AI Predicts Winners
IBM’s AI Draw Analysis aids players and fans in assessing the advantages and disadvantages of each player’s tournament path. The analysis combines IBM Power Index and Likelihood to Win, providing statistical factors and draw rankings for players. Moreover, the AI Draw Analysis is updated in real-time during the tournament to make accurate and relevant draw rankings. With this tool, players and fans can stay informed about the changing landscape and make more informed predictions.
Rezo.ai has developed an AI-powered tennis draw simulator that can generate draw rankings and difficulty ratings for individual matches. Furthermore, utilizing IBM Watsonx foundational models, the generative Artificial Intelligence incorporates tennis-specific vocabulary and employs diverse sentence structures for narration. Lastly, future AI commentary may match narration style but lacks the emotional depth and personal connection of human commentators.
