NBC will use AI to create highlights of the Paris Olympics with the voice of Al Michaels

Brian Roberts, CEO of NBC’s parent company Comcast, said it was a “fun” use of AI at a demonstration for reporters at Rockefeller Center. The idea came from a brainstorming session about how to use technology in showcasing the upcoming games. A team of NBCUniversal editors will review all content for quality and accuracy before summaries are made available to users.

Michaels told Vanity Fair: “Honestly, it was amazing. It was unbelievable. And it was a little scary.”

Michaels recalled one of the most famous Olympic moments in history, when he spoke of the United States’ hockey victory over the Soviet Union in 1980. “Do you believe in miracles?” he shouted as the clock ran out.

He spent another two decades at ABC, becoming one of the most recognizable voices in sports television, before moving to NBC to commentate on the NFL.

For anyone with a Peacock subscription, Michael’s voice will be available when the Olympics begin. It will narrate a morning summary of highlights based on the viewer’s preferences, including their favorite sports and the type of coverage they’re interested in, such as behind-the-scenes or viral moments. According to Roberts, there could be about 7 million variations of what Michaels could say to introduce the clips.

Peacock’s team of engineers and data scientists used a large language model and speech synthesis technology to create the Michaels AI based on his numerous previous appearances at NBC. Michaels agreed to lend his voice when NBC asked for permission.

The reinterpretation of Michael’s voices came months after a lengthy strike by actors and screenwriters in Hollywood. A central topic was the future use of artificial intelligence.

Rupal Patel, a professor of communication sciences and disorders at Northeastern University and founder of a synthetic voice company, says this type of work is becoming more common and, under the right conditions, raises no ethical questions.

“This happens more often when voice actors agree and also receive a portion of the royalties for their work,” she said. “There are no alarm bells because the actor benefits financially and they wouldn’t be able to do all of these recordings themselves. The whole idea is scaling. In theory, the AI ​​voice works while they’re doing another job.”