-New Match Report summaries offer fans detailed analysis for
all 254 US Open main draw singles matches
-Enhanced version of AI Commentary returns to US Open digital
platforms for on-demand highlights, along with fully redesigned IBM
SlamTracker experience
-IBM and USTA Foundation announce new collaboration to
provide AI professional development resources to USTA Foundation
students, teaching professionals and the public
ARMONK,
N.Y., Aug. 15, 2024 /CNW/ -- IBM
(NYSE: IBM) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA)
today announced several watsonx-powered fan features coming to the
US Open digital platforms ahead of this year's tournament. These
new and enhanced capabilities – a product of collaboration between
IBM and the USTA digital team – aim to deliver a more informative
and engaging experience for millions of tennis fans around the
world.
All-new this year, IBM will deliver AI-generated Match Report
summaries for every men's and women's singles match within minutes
of conclusion. The solution leverages technologies from watsonx,
IBM's AI and data platform – including Granite 13B, its large language model (LLM) purpose-built
for business – and the USTA's trusted data and editorial guidelines
to produce long-form, post-match articles featuring analysis of
player performance, statistics and highlights. The content is
reviewed and updated with context and commentary from USTA
editorial staff prior to publication on the US Open app and
USOpen.org.
Match Reports will expand editorial capabilities of the USTA,
enabling them to provide fans with timely coverage at unprecedented
scale – for all 254 main draw singles matches across seven
rounds and all seventeen courts.
An enhanced version of IBM's AI commentary is also returning to
the US Open digital platforms. First introduced in 2023, AI
commentary provides automated English-language audio and subtitles
for men's and women's singles match summary highlight videos. This
year, IBM will utilize watsonx including the Granite 13B LLM to generate more frequent, expressive and
contextual commentary, with highlight packages published just
minutes after a match concludes.
Fans will also have access to a fully redesigned IBM SlamTracker
experience offering detailed pre-, live and post-match insights.
These include likelihood to win predictions, point-by-point
analysis, and bulleted match previews and recaps, built on IBM
watsonx, for all men's and women's singles matches. This includes
for live matches a new, near real-time 3D graphic of current
play.
Additionally, IBM and the USTA Foundation, the USTA's
philanthropic arm, are announcing a collaboration to offer free
career readiness training through IBM SkillsBuild, aligning with
the USTA Foundation's mission to help under-resourced youth become
more engaged in school and learning and IBM's goal of skilling 30
million people by 2030. The collaboration will provide students
from select USTA Foundation National Junior Tennis & Learning
(NJTL) chapters, as well as teaching professionals and the public,
access to AI and professional development courses, such as
customized learning plans, workshops and guidance from IBM
volunteers. Participants will also have access to a new guidebook
and interactive micro-learning course, available in English and
Spanish, providing information on AI concepts and techniques used
in tennis, such as electronic line calling and player analytics, as
well as an introduction to LLMs, including IBM Granite.
"Fans want more quality content around their favorite sports and
athletes, and IBM Match Reports enables us to deliver it right away
for the US Open," said Jonathan
Adashek, Senior Vice President of Marketing and
Communications for IBM. "IBM's continued partnership with the
USTA, built on more than 30 years of innovation, is an example of
how businesses in any sector can modernize and scale their
workflows with models like Granite and AI technologies
like watsonx."
"One of the key goals of the US Open Digital Platforms is to
provide fans worldwide with comprehensive coverage of all the
action taking place during the three weeks of the tournament," said
Brian Ryerson, Sr. Director of
Digital Strategy at the USTA. "AI Match Reports enables us
to efficiently deliver concise, factual match previews and reports
for over 150 matches to fans across our platforms. The
efficiency of providing this content at scale allows our editorial
teams to focus on other storylines and interviews ensuring we can
provide the most comprehensive coverage possible."
These new features and efforts showcase how IBM and the USTA
continue to co-create world-class digital experiences that bring
the drama and excitement of the US Open to more than 15 million
people around the world each year. The US Open's digital
experiences are run on the USTA's flexible, open hybrid cloud
platform, which integrates technology from dozens of partners,
automates key business processes, and secures the entire
world-class digital experience of the US Open.
The 2024 US Open runs from August 19 -
September 8. To see IBM technology in action, visit
USOpen.org and/or the US Open app available in the Apple and
Android app stores on mobile devices.
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global
hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in
more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data,
streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the
competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of government and
corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as
financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's
hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital
transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's
breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing,
industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and
flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's
long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility,
inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more
information.
About USTA
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in
the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of
tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest
level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization, it
invests 100 percent of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns
and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual
sporting events in the world, along with approximately 100 Pro
Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for Davis
Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The USTA's philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides
grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and
education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth
through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network.
For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the
official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X) and
TikTok.
USTA Foundation Incorporated (USTAF or USTA
Foundation), the national charitable arm of the United
States Tennis Association Incorporated (USTA), utilizes the
powerful combination of tennis and education to enhance the lives
of under-resourced youth through its support of the National Junior
Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more than 50 years, NJTL
has impacted thousands of youth nationwide, and today, the network
features over 250 chapters. The USTAF supports these chapters by
providing financial grants, scholarship opportunities, curricula,
technical assistance, and training. USTAF raises money and public
awareness through donations, corporate support, foundations, and
fundraisers, including the US Open Opening Night Gala and various
Pro-Ams, to name just a few. To date, the USTA Foundation has
awarded approximately $64 million in
grants and scholarships. For more information on the USTA
Foundation, visit www.ustafoundation.com or stay connected through
Facebook and Instagram at @USTAFOUNDATION.
Media contact:
Sarah Benchaita
sarah.benchaita@ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM