Amazon's "Thursday Night Football" Broadcast Is Using AI To Predict Plays

When Skynet takes over the world, will robots be playing sports, or will they destroy the NFL? Did you know that before Arnold Schwarzenegger took on the part of the Terminator, director James Cameron originally wanted football star and 'The Naked Gun' actor O.J. Simpson? But Cameron didn't think he was menacing enough.

Amazon's Thursday Night Football has now implemented AI in its broadcast to help viewers and commentator Kirk Herbstreit determine and predict plays. The new tools are:

• Pocket health- A tool of the threat from defensive pass rushers to the Quarterback.

• End of game- A list of scenarios about how the game will end from questions like how much time the other team have if they punted to how long until a team takes the knee.

• Coverage ID- An enhanced tool that has the defensive scheme before the play, like man-on-man vs zone.

• Prime targets- Tracks open wide receivers with a green orb as they run their routes.

  
  

Alex Strand, Amazon Prime Video Senior Coordinating Producer, talked to Deadline in an interview: “If you think about any of your own experiences when you’re watching a game, your team is behind, it’s a close game. There’s only one question on your mind: ‘How does my team win?’ That’s it. It’s the math that commentators are already doing, and it’s the math that fans are already doing.”

Do you want to see more AI implemented in sports, or do you prefer it old-fashioned? Comment below with your thoughts.

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Source: Deadline

Photo Credit: NFL/AI/Amazon