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NBC to use AI version of announcer Al Michaels’ voice for Olympics recaps

NBC is set to revolutionize its Olympics coverage this summer by introducing an AI-generated voice of the renowned sportscaster Al Michaels. This advanced AI technology will deliver daily recaps of the Summer Games on NBC's Peacock streaming service. The tool, named "Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock," will offer 10-minute highlight packages personalized to subscriber preferences, drawing from a vast pool of 5,000 hours of live coverage in Paris.

Al Michaels, who has lent his voice and likeness to this project, expressed initial skepticism followed by approval after witnessing a demonstration of the AI's capabilities. The AI will be able to compile highlights in millions of different ways, promising a unique and tailored viewing experience for each subscriber. Michaels, a veteran of sports broadcasting known for his commentary on major events like the Miracle on Ice, is being compensated for his contribution to the project.

NBC has assured that despite the innovative use of AI, human oversight will remain a crucial part of the process. A team of NBC Sports editors will review all content to ensure accuracy and proper pronunciation. This blend of AI efficiency with editorial oversight aims to enhance the viewer experience without compromising the quality and reliability of the broadcast. The AI-powered recaps will be available on the Peacock platform starting July 27, accessible via web browsers and iOS devices.

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The A.I. Boom Has an Unlikely Early Winner: Wonky Consultants

The rise of generative artificial intelligence has prompted businesses to seek the expertise of consulting firms like Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey, and KPMG, creating a new revenue stream for these companies. For instance, Boston Consulting Group now earns a significant portion of its income from AI-related projects, a stark increase from just two years ago. Companies like Reckitt Benckiser have turned to these consultants to help integrate AI into their operations, such as automating the creation of local advertisements in various languages, which has significantly sped up their marketing processes.

Consultancies are advising on a variety of AI applications, from regulatory compliance to customer support systems. However, the adoption of AI technologies has not been without challenges. For example, IBM and McDonald’s faced setbacks with an AI-powered voice system for drive-through orders that failed to perform reliably, leading McDonald’s to discontinue the project. Despite such issues, consulting firms are seeing robust growth in AI-related services, suggesting a strong demand for their expertise in navigating the complexities of new technologies.

The management consulting industry, benefiting from the generative AI boom, is expected to see a continued increase in revenue. Consulting firms are actively participating in experimental projects to showcase their capabilities, like McKinsey’s collaboration with ING Bank to develop a chatbot with built-in safeguards to ensure accurate information. This evolving landscape illustrates both the potential and the hurdles of implementing AI in business, necessitating ongoing adjustments and learning from the emerging tech.

Figma announces big redesign with AI

Figma has announced a series of updates and new features during its Config conference, including a significant UI redesign and new generative AI tools. The redesign, described as laying the foundation for the next decade, features a new toolbar, rounded corners, and over 200 new icons, aiming to enhance usability for both new and experienced users. The new AI tools will help users quickly prototype designs, such as app interfaces and recipe pages, by simply entering prompts. These tools are launching in a limited beta, with Figma emphasizing that they were developed without training on private customer data.

Additionally, Figma introduced 'Figma Slides', a built-in feature for creating presentations similar to Google Slides, which allows users to integrate and tweak design elements within their presentations directly. This feature will also support interactive elements such as polls, enhancing engagement during presentations. Figma Slides will be accessible in an open beta starting Wednesday and is set to be a paid feature upon its official launch.

This announcement comes after Adobe's abandoned $20 billion acquisition of Figma, which resulted in a $1 billion breakup fee paid to Figma. The update and the introduction of new features reflect Figma's ongoing commitment to enhancing user experience and expanding its capabilities, positioning itself strongly in the design tool market independent of Adobe.

Other stuff

• All rabbit r1 responses could be read by hackers for the past month and rabbit knew about it and did nothing to fix it.

• Taking a closer look at AI’s supposed energy apocalypse

• AI Work Assistants Need a Lot of Handholding

• How AI Revolutionized Protein Science, but Didn’t End It

• Mitigating Skeleton Key, a new type of generative AI jailbreak technique

• My First Trip to Norway, With A.I. as a Guide

• I Wore Meta Ray-Bans in Montreal to Test Their AI Translation Skills. It Did Not Go Well

• Official PyTorch Documentary: Powering the AI Revolution

• When the Terms of Service Change to Make Way for A.I. Training

Hope you enjoyed today's newsletter

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