Will Shanklin has been writing about gadgets, tech and their impact on humanity since 2011. Before joining Engadget, he spent five years creating and leading the mobile technology section for New Atlas. His work has also appeared on SlashGear, TechRadar, Digital Trends, AppleInsider, Android Central, HuffPost and others.
Who among us hasn’t lied awake at night during past Olympics , longing for personalized daily event summaries read in the dulcet tones of legendary sports broadcaster Al Michaels ? Well, our moment has finally come. “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock” will let you choose your favorite sports and highlight types for the 2024 Summer Olympics , and an AI-generated Michaels will read a 10-minute customized recap of the previous day’s events based on your preferences.
Michaels said he was understandably reluctant when NBC asked for his approval, but he ultimately came around to the AI-fueled vision. “When I was approached about this, I was skeptical but obviously curious,” the Hall of Fame broadcaster said. “Then I saw a demonstration detailing what they had in mind. I said, ‘I’m in.’”
Peacock shared a demo of one of the recaps with Engadget, and it’s easy to see why the Hall of Fame broadcaster came around. You’d be hard-pressed to tell the AI-generated speech from Michaels’ real voice. Even the clone’s subtle rhythms and intonations sound distinctly like him.NBCUniversal says it trained AI Al on Michaels’ past appearances on NBC. The 79-year-old currently calls play-by-play forand holds an emeritus role for NBC Sports, where he’s worked since 2006.
Peacock’s recaps will draw from what it says will be 5,000 hours of live coverage from this summer’s games. They will cover up to 40 concurrent daily Olympic events and have the potential for “nearly 7 million personalized variants.” NBCUniversal says its editors will review all of the customized content — including audio and clips — before sending it to users. If enough people sign up, that sounds like quite the undertaking. But given theYou can opt into the recaps starting on July 27, when the first edition will summarize the previous day’s Opening Ceremony. The 2024 Summer Olympics kick off on July 26 in Paris.
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