IBM Develops Advanced AI-Powered Technology For Wimbledon

Wimbledon Championship is one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world, but technologically, it has been at par with the other three Grand Slams. However, this scenario was until 2018 as this year Wimbledon with the latest installation by IBM will be the most technologically advanced tennis contest. With IBM’s Watson AI service at play for the 2019 season, the tournament will better recognize exciting rallies for highlight reels because of an extended feature of audibility analysis. The Championship is already using a version of Watson but the 133rd edition with the new upgrade will be more accurate than before. In sports, a technology that precisely detects video clips of integral moments of the match is paramount. Thus, the need of ever-advancing it also becomes crucial. The 30-year partner’s latest Watson Acoustics analytics will be able to now discover when the ball has been struck, allowing the All-England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) to crop highlights better, save time and make the most of the right footage. This will enable better programming and viewer experience. It will also be able to identify the level of crowd noise and even the excitement of players. This will help in the unbiased capturing of highlights from players by picking vocals and animated behaviour. Though AELTC will continue using its own proprietary media and highlights operations on-site, an accurate technology like this is always a boon for sports tournaments such as the Wimbledon. The tournament that started on July 1st, has deployed IBM’s technology since 1990 and during the two-week match season, a dedicated team from the company monitors and analyzes coverages from all courts before it releases it to the media. They also share the data with the players and their coaches, for them to improve their game.