IBM and The All England Lawn Tennis Club have announced new features for the Wimbledon digital fan experience, set to debut at this year’s Championships.
A fresh Artificial Intelligence (AI) element, utilising generative AI technology from IBM WatsonX, will generate tennis commentary for all video highlights packages during Wimbledon. In a premiere for tennis, the IBM AI Draw Analysis function will also deliver a new statistic to ascertain how favourable the path to the final may be for each player in the singles draw.
The innovative features enrich the array of digital tools for fans on the Wimbledon App and wimbledon.com, demonstrating the ongoing collaboration between IBM and Wimbledon in leveraging technology to deepen fan engagement with The Championships.
The AI Commentary feature will offer fans watching match highlights videos with audio commentary of critical moments, complete with captions which can be toggled on or off. The tool aims to enhance fans’ experience when catching up on pivotal moments from matches with highlights videos on the Wimbledon App and wimbledon.com.
IBM iX experts, working with The All England Club, utilised foundation models from WatsonX to train the AI in the distinct language of tennis. Generative AI was then employed to create varied and engaging narration.
The IBM AI Draw Analysis is another novelty, using AI to evaluate each player’s potential path to the finals in the singles draw. A player’s draw favourability will be indicated on a scale, taking into account factors like potential future opponents and the player’s position in the draw compared to competitors.
This fresh insight will enable tennis fans to detect anomalies and potential surprises in the singles draw, fuelling more debate and engagement among the fan community.
The Championships, Wimbledon will run from 3 July – 16 July 2023. To see the technology in action, visit wimbledon.com or download the Wimbledon App on your mobile device, available on the App Store and Google Play Store.