NBC uses AI version of Al Michaels’ voice for the Paris Olympics

NBC has announced that they will use an AI version of Al Michaels’ voice to provide daily recaps of the 2024 Paris Olympics… and the masses are a little disturbed.

On Wednesday, the broadcast company announced that it will recreate Michaels’ voice “using generative artificial intelligence and AI speech synthesis technology” to provide subscribers with personalized daily recaps of the Summer Olympics, which can then be streamed on Peacock.

The new feature, currently called “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock,” offers streamers viewer-personalized 10-minute highlight packages that include everything from behind-the-scenes looks and backstories on top competitions, viral and trending moments, to spotlights on international teams.

According to NBC:

“Each compilation features excerpts from NBCU’s Olympic coverage and is narrated by a high-quality AI recreation of Michaels’ voice, trained on his previous NBC appearances and matching his signature expertise and oratory.”

Kelly Campbell, President of Peacock and Direct-to-Consumer, NBCUniversal, said:

“With these recaps and interactive elements like Peacock Live Actions and Discovery Multiview, we are bringing together the best of sport with the best technology to give fans a personalized Olympic experience like never before.”

Michaels himself said Vanity Fair he was “skeptical” about the whole concept…that is, until he heard the AI-generated voice.

“Honestly, it was amazing. It was unbelievable.”

“And it was a little scary.”

“Not only was it close, it was almost 2% below the ideal.”

“I think, whoa.”

Michaels expressed these thoughts in a press release.

“When I was asked about it, I was skeptical, but of course curious.”

“Then I saw a demonstration that explained in detail what they were going to do. I said, ‘I’m in.'”

However, social media is not quite past the “fear” phase regarding the new feature.

Michaels has covered a total of nine Olympic Games for ABC Sports and NBC Sports. He joined NBC Sports in 2006 and was the voice of Sunday Night Football until 2021.

He is currently the sports commentator for “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon Prime.

And yes, he receives compensation for the use of his voice.