Michelle ThompsonNBC is reintroducing a version of famed sportscaster Al Michaels to the Olympics this summer with an unexpected twist: his voice will be powered by artificial intelligence. NBC announced on Wednesday that it will use AI software to recreate Michaels’ voice to deliver daily recaps of the Summer Games for subscribers of its Peacock streaming platform, marking a significant milestone for AI use in major media.
The AI-generated voice will be part of a new feature called “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock,” which will offer 10-minute highlight packages. These recaps will include event updates, athlete backstories, and other content personalized according to subscriber preferences. The technology is designed to create up to 7 million different highlight variations from 5,000 hours of live coverage in Paris, making it a highly efficient method for delivering personalized content.
Michaels initially approached the idea with skepticism but was intrigued after seeing a demonstration. “When I was approached about this, I was skeptical but obviously curious,” Michaels said in a press release. “Then I saw a demonstration detailing what they had in mind. I said, ‘I’m in.’” He is being compensated for his involvement.
Currently the play-by-play sportscaster for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, Michaels is well-known for his previous work on Olympic Games broadcasts for both NBC and ABC, including his iconic call of the Miracle on Ice game at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
NBC’s AI system was trained using prior NBC broadcast audio from Michaels. A team of NBC Sports editors will review all content, including audio and clips, to ensure factual accuracy and correct pronunciation of names.
The highlights tool will be available on Peacock via web browsers and iOS and iPadOS apps starting July 27.
