Alibaba Group Holding’s cloud computing division is bringing adjustments to the way in which Olympic content material can be transmitted and consumed, marking a big milestone within the historical past of sports activities broadcasting.
On July 25, Alibaba Cloud, in collaboration with Olympic Broadcasting Providers (OBS), unveiled OBS Cloud 3.0, an revolutionary AI-enhanced platform designed to function the first technique of content material distribution for the Paris Video games. It is a revolutionary change, marking the tip of a chunk of historical past: satellite tv for pc broadcasting has been a staple of the Olympics because the know-how was first launched on the 1964 Tokyo Video games.
Based on the South China Morning Post, OBS Cloud 3.0 will present media retailers with unparalleled entry to Olympic photographs and movies. The OBS, the Olympics’ official broadcasting arm run by the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC), is accountable for coordinating the distribution of protection, making certain that billions of individuals all around the world will be capable of watch all of the motion.
This transition towards cloud-based distribution is a historic first for the Olympic Video games. Not surprisingly, Alibaba underscored that “for the primary time within the historical past of the Olympic Video games,” a cloud platform would function the first method to disseminate content material. The novelty of this stage is underscored by its timing, which is successfully aligned with the rise of world AI, spearheaded by OpenAI’s ChatGPT since October 2022.
The usage of AI applied sciences for Olympic broadcasts can be greater than only a new technique of distribution. For instance, Alibaba plans to make use of its personal massive language fashions to help the official commentators throughout the Video games. AI-powered assist ought to assist elevate the standard of commentary, making it extra insightful and in-depth for viewers.
Alibaba shouldn’t be alone in bringing AI improvements to the Paris Olympics. Different tech giants and startups are additionally contributing their experience:
- Chinese language AI startup SenseTime will assist China’s males’s nationwide basketball staff on the event. The corporate will supply AI knowledge evaluation and strategic recommendation. The basketball staff will obtain data a lot faster, they usually hope it’ll set up a aggressive benefit.
- Intel and the Worldwide Olympic Committee have created an AI chatbot to reply skilled, logistical, and normal questions for the athletes residing on the Olympic Village in Paris. The chatbot, AthleteGPT, will improve the athlete expertise by offering wanted data rapidly and exactly.
- To focus on its AI merchandise and know-how, Google has fashioned a partnership with NBCUniversal, one of many primary broadcasters of the Video games. The usage of Google’s know-how will present the viewers with 3D maps of Olympic venues, and a complicated data retrieval system that can enable viewers to entry extra details about any particular sport.
One of many coolest issues about engaged on a broadcasting cloud is delivering the first-ever Olympic content material in ultra-high definition. Not solely will the picture high quality be unparalleled, however the footage may even be extra vivid and visually pleasing. It’s going to make individuals really feel just like the athletes are extraordinarily near them.
The president of worldwide enterprise at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, Selina Yuan, confirmed nice optimism concerning the joint endeavor with OBS. She famous that it could not solely change the viewing expertise on the Video games, but additionally illustrate how superior know-how will be made related for the worldwide inhabitants.
The selection of AI and cloud know-how for the Paris Olympics follows a normal pattern within the sports activities trade because the digital revolution impacts how occasions are broadcast, analysed, and skilled, amid the ever-growing curiosity in sports activities. With the speedy growth of AI, it’s totally attainable that in a decade, the Olympic Video games will use extra superior variations of the know-how that can innovate coaching, participant efficiency evaluation, interplay between golf equipment and followers, and extra.
(Picture by David)
See additionally: Alibaba Cloud shutters Australian and Indian knowledge centres, contradicting earlier claims


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