Catch me up: How AI is transforming the Wimbledon experience

IBM and The All England Lawn Tennis Club recently unveiled a new generative AI feature, ‘Catch Me Up,’ designed to enhance the Wimbledon digital experience by providing personalised player stories and analysis.

The feature, developed using IBM’s Granite large language model (LLM) through the watsonx platform, aims to keep tennis fans informed about their favourite players throughout the tournament.

Jonathan Adashek, IBM’s SVP of Marketing and Communications, stated, “The new ‘Catch Me Up’ feature is an exciting example of how we can use the power of generative AI to deliver compelling, insight-driven storytelling at scale. For 35 years, IBM and Wimbledon have been co-creating solutions that make fans feel more connected to all the on-court action, and our new research confirms they are beginning to understand the positive impact technologies such as generative AI can have on their digital experiences.”

Catch Me Up offers…

… pre- and post-match player cards with AI-generated content on wimbledon.com and the Wimbledon 2024 App.

The player cards, tailored to user preferences and data from myWimbledon profiles, deliver pre-match performance analyses and predictions, along with post-match statistics and highlights. Additionally, the feature will generate daily summaries of play.

Built using IBM’s Granite LLM, the AI-generated text adheres to Wimbledon’s editorial style and is monitored by the All England Club.

The innovation enables Wimbledon to scale its content, providing fans with timely, curated coverage across all singles matches, often happening concurrently.

This year, Wimbledon is leveraging generative AI to cover a broader range of matches, including wheelchair events, enhancing the diversity of its international audience. These updates are part of a redesigned digital match centre, IBM Slamtracker, accessible via the Wimbledon App and wimbledon.com.

The enhanced IBM Slamtracker offers bullet point-based match previews and post-match reviews for singles matches, using generative AI from watsonx.

Wimbledon view: What UAE tennis fans think of the use of AI

A recent survey by IBM and Morning Consult reveals that a majority of tennis fans globally, and specifically in the UAE, view AI positively.

The research found that 55 per cent of global tennis fans believe AI will positively impact sports, with even higher optimism among UAE fans.

Key findings from the UAE survey showed 81 per cent of UAE tennis fans think technology will enhance fan engagement. On the other hand, 88 per cent believe technology will advance training, 89 per cent believe it improves game strategy, 87 per cent think it enhances coaching, and 85 per cent think it helps in talent identification and acquisitions.

The survey also highlighted that 25 per cent of UAE sports fans use two devices simultaneously while watching sports, compared to a global average of 22 per cent.

Among UAE fans aged 18-29, 10 per cent use three or more devices, mirroring the global average.

The primary reasons for multi-device usage include gaining more game information (52 per cent), interacting with other fans (42 per cent), and multitasking (38 per cent).

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