As AI technology continues to grow, some companies are being creative when leveraging its capabilities.
On Wednesday, NBC announced it will use AI technology to replicate the voice of the inimitable sports announcer Al Michaels to roll out, “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock.”
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The 2024 Summer Olympics are slated to begin on July 27 in Paris, France, and will end on August 11. The full event will air on NBC.
The new program allows spectators to curate playlists with recaps of the Summer Games they love the most, narrated by the AI version of Michaels’ voice.
Al Michaels looks on from the sideline prior to an NFL football game between the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
“When I was approached about this, I was skeptical but, obviously, curious,” Michaels said in a company release. “Then I saw a demonstration detailing what they had in mind. I said, ‘I’m in.'”
CNN confirmed that Michaels will be compensated for his involvement.
NBC estimates that over seven million different versions of the recaps could exist, given the 5,000 hours of expected Olympic coverage during the event.
Michaels has cemented himself as a legend in sports broadcasting, working nine Olympic Games over the course of his career for both NBC and ABC Sports.
He is also known for one of the most iconic play-calling broadcasts in sports. As the U.S. hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, he screamed: “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”
Michaels’ willingness to participate in an AI collab is a pivot from other public figures who have fought against the technology’s ability to imitate a person’s voice and likeness.
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Just last month, Scarlett Johansson threatened legal action against OpenAI for using a voice in a new chatbot that was “eerily similar” to her own — after she had already denied the company’s request to use her voice.
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