Artificial intelligence has grown in popularity over the last couple of years, and it could become the new norm in live sports broadcasting.
It can enhance a broadcast by providing quick stats and facts about a game; however, it needs to improve before reporters and announcers can fully trust it.
Still, AI already has its uses. For example, according to Luna Wolfe, who works with and writes about AI for Medium.com, AI can produce real-time analysis, increase efficiency and improve accuracy.
From that list, real-time analysis affects broadcasts the most.
“This technology provides viewers with in-depth player statistics and game predictions, enriching broadcasters’ commentary and analysis,” Wolfe said.
Broadcasters can use AI to help keep track of in-game stats that humans might be unable to keep up with or remember accurately. Increased efficiency and improved accuracy have the most significant impact on broadcasters.
“AI’s automation of tasks such as highlight generation and real-time analytics frees up valuable human resources,” Wolfe said. “Broadcasters can allocate their time and effort to creating more engaging content, ultimately improving the quality of sports coverage.”
With AI, broadcasters can manage their time better. Humans can process only so much information at once, leaving the door open for AI tools to fill in any of the gaps with information that viewers need.
“AI’s analytical prowess allows it to process vast amounts of data precisely beyond human capabilities,” Wolfe said.
The biggest concern sports broadcasters have about AI right is its accuracy. While Wolfe claims that AI improves the accuracy of information, Chase Parham thinks differently.
Parham is a writer and editor for Rivals.com who has used AI in many ways, including research for his podcast. He goes through many sources — such as newsletters, media guides and GOogle searches — to create outlines for his podcast, which runs five days a week.
After attempting to use AI to take some work off his plate in the mornings, Parham concluded that AI “just isn’t good enough.” AI can track stats just fine, but when it comes to writing storylines and game recaps, it is too inaccurate for his liking.
Despite that, Parham recognizes that AI can benefit broadcasters.
From a broadcast standpoint, he said, “It’s ‘Hey, I’m running into things inside the quarter, I need this,’ and you ask AI.”
Situations like this happen far too often in sports broadcasting — casters needing information quicker than they can come up with it — to ignore some sort of AI tool.
AI can do a lot for stat-tracking, which helps broadcasters in the moment and after the games are over. Take the Ole Miss club hockey team, for example. During the 2022-23 hockey season, reporters were only able to track 85 stats per game completely with their eyes. This is a good number for human standards, but AI could expedite the process.
AI would have made those tasks significantly more manageable. AI could have tracked every stat for each game in a few short minutes. For reference, it takes humans several hours to complete in-depth, accurate and timely tracking for a game.
AI can be a handy tool for sports broadcasters. It can enhance broadcasts and save time for broadcasters. While it still has a ways to go before the broadcast community will trust it fully, AI may become more prevalent as it improves.
