ARD and ZDF also want to use videos created by artificial intelligence (AI) in their coverage of the Winter Olympics in Italy. The broadcasters say they want to use AI software from Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the company that provides the recordings of the sporting event.
For the first time, the Olympic coverage will feature “AI-generated highlights, i.e. automatically created clips of different lengths for different distribution channels,” said the director of Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Katja Wildermuth. According to the broadcasters, the OBS software will allow highlights and summaries of the competitions to be played out more quickly.
No use of generative AI planned
There will therefore be no indication that AI was used for broadcast videos. The broadcasters justify this by saying that the AI-created summaries are created from original broadcast material. This also includes live commentary from reporters. In addition, all summaries are checked editorially and human intervention is possible at any time. The editorial responsibility for the broadcast content lies with people.
“No generative AI is used,” a spokesman for Bayerischer Rundfunk told ZEIT. The use of generative AI “would actually never be the case without labeling.”
The AI software is used for technical analysis and structuring of raw material, he also said ZDF with. According to ARD, this will make it easier to create videos that focus on the performance of German athletes.
Die Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo will officially open on Friday and end on February 22nd. Some competitions took place on Wednesday. ARD and ZDF want to broadcast 120 and 100 hours of live television and offer 700 hours of live streams.
