As the U.S. Open begins on Monday, Aug. 19, fans and athletes can look forward to an elevated experience, thanks to new AI-powered features introduced by IBM in collaboration with the United States Tennis Association (USTA). The 2024 tournament will showcase cutting-edge generative AI capabilities across its digital platforms, offering detailed post-match summaries, enhanced AI commentary, and an upgraded SlamTracker with advanced insights throughout the three-week event.
This year, IBM is rolling out AI-generated match report summaries for every men’s and women’s singles match. Leveraging the power of IBM's watsonx platform and the Granite 13B large language model, these reports will be available within minutes of a match's conclusion. The summaries will provide in-depth analysis of player performance, statistics, and highlights, all reviewed and contextualized by USTA editorial staff before publication. This innovation allows the USTA to deliver comprehensive coverage for all 254 main draw singles matches, spanning seven rounds and seventeen courts.
In addition to the match summaries, IBM’s enhanced AI commentary, which debuted last year, returns with more frequent, expressive, and contextually rich content. The commentary, available in both English audio and subtitles, will be integrated into highlight videos of the singles matches, providing fans with timely and engaging recaps.
The fully redesigned SlamTracker also promises to deepen fan engagement by offering detailed insights before, during, and after matches. Features include win predictions, point-by-point analysis, and concise previews and recaps for all singles matches.
Beyond the fan experience, IBM and the USTA Foundation are launching a philanthropic initiative to provide free career readiness training through IBM SkillsBuild. This program will be available to students from select USTA Foundation National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) chapters, educators, and the general public, supporting underserved youth and aligning with IBM’s broader commitment to upskilling 30 million people by 2030.
As IBM’s partnership with the USTA enters its 30th year, the introduction of these AI-powered features demonstrates how businesses can leverage technology like watsonx to enhance workflows and deliver large-scale, personalized content, setting a new standard for fan engagement at major sporting events.
