Human commentators will be replaced by AI voiceovers for Wimbledon on app and website this year

The familiar tones of beloved broadcasters are as much a part of Wimbledon as sudden downpours and Cliff Richard.

But commentary on the official app and website for this year’s tournament is provided by artificial intelligence for the first time.

The All England Club has announced that daily highlight clips will use AI-created voices and text captions instead of a human broadcaster.

IBM’s technology has been described as “an exciting way” to produce commentary for the action outside the main show courts.

The AI ​​’commentator’ is trained to use the ‘unique language of tennis’. It contains data about where on the field the ball and the players are – and what kind of shots they are playing.

The AI ​​’commentator’ is trained to use the ‘unique language of tennis’. It contains data about where on the field the ball and the players are – and what kind of shots they are playing

Both male and female sounding AI commentators will be used, although the voices will not have human input.

With line judges also likely to be replaced by technology in the coming years, even the most traditional sporting events feel the need to keep up with the times.

“I see AI as an addition to the human element rather than a replacement,” said Kevin Farrar, leader of IBM Sports Partnerships.

‘You can’t replace John McEnroe’s commentary, that human element must always be there. It is very much complementary and complementary.

“For Wimbledon, it’s about commenting in the future on matches that don’t currently have human commentary – like the seniors, juniors, wheelchair events.”

Live human commentary for show court matches broadcast by the host broadcaster BBC will normally be available when the event starts on July 3. But AI could also be used for those matches in the future.

Given permission, it will also be technically possible for AI to replicate the voices of famous tennis commentators such as McEnroe or the late Bill Threlfall.

The ethics of bringing voices back from the dead are complicated, but it wouldn’t be the first time AI has been used to digitally clone athletes.

American golf legend Jack Nicklaus had an AI-powered animation created in his likeness that was able to talk to fans and answer golf questions in real time.

An AI commentator similar to the one unveiled yesterday by Wimbledon was used for the US Masters golf tournament in April.