Everyone said the same thing about NBC having A.I. Al Michaels do highlights
Aug 26, 2018; Arlington, TX, USA; Network television commentator Al Michaels before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Fans were saying the same thing about NBC’s plans to have an artificial intelligence voice program deliver highlights in Al Michaels’ voice for the Olympics.
NBC announced on Wednesday that they will offer fans personalized Olympics highlight videos on Peacock that will be delivered in the voice of Michaels thanks to artificial intelligence.
Though Michaels, who has held emeritus status at NBC since 2022, approves of the program reproducing his voice, people were left saying the same thing — why not just hire the man himself?
lmfao bro is alive just hire him
— Dom (@itsdomyoutube) June 26, 2024
Last I checked Al Michaels is alive and well. Why use A.I.?
— Frank Michael Smith (@frankmikesmith) June 26, 2024
You know who else sounds like Al Michaels? Al Michaels. The living, breathing human who is still actively working as a sportscaster https://t.co/2WOMtcZu1V
— Infield Fly Girl (@infieldflygrl) June 26, 2024
Isn't Al Michaels still alive? Every use of ai lately seems unnecessary. There's literally no value gained here. This is garbage. https://t.co/TiylGkayf0
— Sean (@stholeary2) June 26, 2024
Or – hear me out – they could have used the actual Al Michaels.
(Al Michaels >>>>> A.I. Michaels) https://t.co/vyC470nsTu
— Michael Lev (@MichaelJLev) June 26, 2024
He’s still alive though
NBC knows that Al Michaels is still alive, right? They could just talk to him. https://t.co/fjcm7ruwAA
— Brian Fletcher (@Brian_Fletcher) June 26, 2024
Though the 79-year-old Michaels is very much alive, he wouldn’t be able to deliver the customized highlights for each viewer the same way an AI program could. However, he could deliver voice over for a few different highlights per day, and those could be arranged together to be used for a more custom video for viewers.
The irony is that in the same article where Michaels says he is worried about the future employment possibilities of creative people, he’s also allowing NBC to use A.I. to potentially take away jobs.