Alibaba Group Holding’s cloud computing division is bringing modifications to the way in which Olympic content material will probably 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 progressive AI-enhanced platform designed to function the first methodology of content material distribution for the Paris Video games. It is a revolutionary change, marking the tip of a bit of historical past: satellite tv for pc broadcasting has been a staple of the Olympics for the reason that know-how was first launched on the 1964 Tokyo Video games.
In response to the South China Morning Put up, 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 everywhere in the world will be capable to 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 strategy to disseminate content material. The novelty of this stage is underscored by its timing, which is successfully aligned with the rise of worldwide AI, spearheaded by OpenAI’s ChatGPT since October 2022.
The usage of AI applied sciences for Olympic broadcasts will probably be greater than only a new methodology of distribution. For instance, Alibaba plans to make use of its personal massive language fashions to help the official commentators through the Video games. AI-powered assist ought to assist increase 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 workforce on the match. The corporate will supply AI knowledge evaluation and strategic recommendation. The basketball workforce will obtain data a lot faster, and so they hope it’s going to 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 shaped a partnership with NBCUniversal, one of many important broadcasters of the Video games. The usage of Google’s know-how will present the viewers with 3D maps of Olympic venues, and a sophisticated data retrieval system that can permit 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 can even be extra vivid and visually pleasing. It should make folks really feel just like the athletes are extraordinarily near them.
The president of worldwide enterprise at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, Selina Yuan, confirmed nice optimism relating to the joint endeavor with OBS. She famous that it will not solely change the viewing expertise on the Video games, but in addition 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 fast improvement of AI, it’s solely 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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