"AI Sports Anchor" will simulate the deceased commentator reporting on NBA events

On the evening of May 7, 2025, a major news about the cross-border integration of technology and sports attracted global attention: NBC TV announced that it would enable the AI ​​synthesized voice of the late legendary commentator Jim Fagan in the NBA event broadcast. This breakthrough technology not only redefines the way sports events are presented, but also opens up a new path in the field of digital heritage inheritance.

Through deep learning algorithms, engineers modeled the vocalprint of Feigan's commentary recordings for more than 500 hours before his lifetime, accurately capturing his signature low tone, intense rhythm control, and unique "Bang! The shot is good!" mantras. It is particularly worth noting that the AI ​​system can independently generate commentary based on real-time game data, and at the same time perfectly reproduce Feigen's unique passionate and professional and rigorous balance style. The Fagan family revealed to the media that when they first heard the test audio generated by AI, many families burst into tears, "just like their father returned to the lecture hall."

This is the second time that NBC has enabled AI commentary technology in half a year. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, the station launched a personalized event review service, legendary commentator Al Michaels' AI voice created more than 2 million on-demand records. The head of the technical team revealed that the new generation of systems has achieved breakthroughs in three aspects: the granularity of voice and emotion is increased by 40%, the real-time response delay is controlled within 0.3 seconds, and it can identify 20 competition emergencies and automatically switch the commentary style. Sports industry analyst Mark Thompson pointed out: "This marks the fourth technological revolution with AI as the core after black and white TV to color broadcasting, from standard definition to 4K/8K, from fixed cameras to 360-degree VR. "

Professional Sports Commentators Association (PBSA) immediately held an emergency meeting. Some members are worried that AI may impact the job market, but association chairman Lisa Coleman emphasized in a statement: "Technology should assist rather than replace human commentary. We are negotiating with the broadcaster to formulate AI usage boundaries." At the same time, platforms such as Disney Sports and Amazon Prime Video were exposed to accelerate the development of similar technologies. According to people familiar with the matter, ESPN is building a "voice bank" covering 30 retired commentators and plans to be put into use in the 2026 season. This innovative practice has also caused heated discussions in the legal community. The Feigan Heritage Management Committee innovatively subdivides voice copyright into three categories: commercial licensed use, non-profit educational use, and family commemorative use. Sarah Chen, a professor of digital ethics at Harvard University, pointed out: "When AI can perfectly simulate the deceased, we need to reexamine the duration of personality rights in the digital age." Currently, 12 states in the United States have legislation requiring that AI generation content must be marked significantly, but the federal level has not yet formed a unified regulatory framework.

In a survey of 10,000 people launched on social media, 58% of NBA fans expressed expectations for "AI Fagan", especially those over the age of 35 generally believe that "this can awaken youthful memories." But 27% of the audience think that "the lack of improvisational commentary has no soul". Tech blogger Derek Zhao wrote after experiencing the beta version: "When AI speaks in Feigan's voice, Curry takes action in the logo area - just like Reggie Miller in 1998! This cross-age analogy does indeed produce a wonderful chemical reaction. "

The head of NBC Innovation Lab hinted that the next stage will be developed, combining 3D projection and AI voice, so that the late commentator can return to the studio in a virtual image. A larger blueprint is to build the "Sports Metaverse Archives", where viewers can freely choose the commentary style of different eras to watch the competition. As sports media researcher Robert Tanaka said: "We are witnessing the paradigm shift in competitive narrative styles. AI is not erasing history, but allowing memory to gain new forms of life. "