NBC to use AI voice of legendary sportscaster Al Michaels for Olympics recap
NEW YORK, N.Y. (WISH) — NBC has announced plans to bring back the voice of legendary sportscaster Al Michaels for its coverage of the Paris Summer Olympics, using artificial intelligence to recreate his iconic voice and broadcast style.
The network revealed that Michaels’ voice will be digitally replicated to provide daily recaps of the games on its streaming platform, Peacock. This AI-powered tool will offer viewers event updates and athlete stories throughout the Olympics.
“When I was approached about this, I was skeptical but obviously curious,” Michaels commented in a prepared statement. “Then I saw a demonstration detailing what they had in mind. I said, ‘I’m in,’” Michaels said in a statement according to Variety.
Al Michaels, known for his current role as play-by-play announcer for NFL Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, has a storied history with NBC, remembered for broadcasts during the Olympics. Michaels famously called the “Miracle on Ice” game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
NBC anticipates streaming nearly seven million personalized versions of “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock” across the United States during the Games. These summaries, compiled from 5,000 hours of live coverage from Paris, will consist of curated clips showcasing standout moments from the previous day’s events, along with previews of NBC’s upcoming primetime coverage, Variety reported.
NBC’s highlight package featuring Michaels’ AI recreation will debut on Peacock starting July 27.