NBC uses AI version of announcer Al Michaels’ voice for Olympic summaries

CNN — (CNN) — NBC is bringing a version of famed sportscaster Al Michaels back to the Olympics this summer – with an unusual twist: His voice will be controlled by artificial intelligence.

NBC announced Wednesday that it will use AI software to recreate Michaels’ voice and provide daily recaps of the Summer Games to subscribers of its Peacock streaming platform – a milestone for the use of artificial intelligence by a major media company.

The use of an AI voice for the Olympics comes at a time when technology has grown by leaps and bounds, particularly in its ability to create images, sound and text. This, in turn, has raised questions in creative industries such as journalism about how artificial intelligence can – or even should – be used.

A new tool called “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock” enables 10-minute highlight packages that can include updates on the events, athlete backstories and other relevant content tailored to subscribers’ preferences.

The company said highlights from 5,000 hours of live coverage from Paris could be packaged in about 7 million different ways, making AI (artificial intelligence, not humans) a much more efficient way to deliver personalized summaries.

“When I was asked about it, I was skeptical but of course curious,” Michaels said in a press release. “Then I saw a demonstration that explained in detail what they were planning to do. I said, ‘I’m in.'”

Michaels, a longtime sportscaster, is currently the sports commentator for “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon Prime. He is also known for his work on previous Olympic Games broadcasts for NBC and ABC and for commentating on the “Miracle on Ice Game” at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. The company did not immediately respond to questions about how it compensates Michaels or partnering with him on the product.

The company said a team of NBC Sports editors will review all content, including audio files and clips, to ensure everything is factually correct and names are pronounced correctly.

The Highlights tool will be available on Peacock via web browsers and iOS and iPadOS apps starting July 27.

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