Formula 1, Amazon unveil AI to offer personalised race viewing

At the Spanish Grand Prix, Formula 1 and Amazon, will keep viewers hooked to the race with the help of AI-powered technology.

Over the past decade, Formula 1 has sought to boost the presence of the sport on the global stage. With rumors floating around the internet about a 24% decrease in viewership year on year, Formula 1 executive John C. Malone has turned to AI to appeal to today’s audiences.

The implementation of AI technology by Formula 1 falls in line with a general trend happening in sport broadcasting as social media has, in fact, changed how we’ve engaged with everything more or less.

In 2016, Malone, a billionaire businessman bought Formula 1 as an entity from CVC Capital Partners, BNN Bloomberg reported. And ever since, the sport has searched for new means to thrust the sport into mainstream media also notably with a Netflix documentary, “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.” Now, millions of viewers of the Spanish Grand Prix will be watching an enhanced version of the race — brought to them by AI.

AI: Gamechanger for sports broadcasting

Sports holds much meaning in our world. However, sports broadcasting is essentially an entertainment medium. Thus recent developments in AI are revolutionizing the industry, according to WTvision, as our world doesn’t seek to be entertained so much with our short attention spans but rather engaged.

Sports, as an industry, is using AI to process real-time data to generate predictions and insights. But more so than that, as viewers grow increasingly accustomed to consuming content tailored to them, sports broadcasters can customized the fan’s viewing experience like never before with AI.

Which is what Formula 1 intends to do.

Meet the Statbot

At the Spanish Grand Prix, Formula 1 is debuting an Amazon.com Inc. powered AI called the “Statbot.” Not only will it sift through race archives to provide viewers trivia but also process real-time data. Statbot will also make predictions based on that data about the race such as “pit-stop timing” and when a driver might overtake another, according to BNN Bloomberg.

“With this data and the intimacy with the fan, you can contemplate hyper-personalized experiences,” Eric Gales said, AWS Canada Managing Director.

Neil Ralph, Amazon’s technical lead on this project with Formula 1, added that they want the viewers to feel that they are choosing what stories they want to be told.

But more so than that, AI offers an unprecedented ability to process data like never before based on the condition of the car, even, and make predictions about the race in real-time.

AI technology continues to take over sports broadcasting, and the world of social media has officially reached all our screens. No turning back. Full speed ahead. Viewers don’t want to feel a part of the masses but spoken to directly as AI tailors our feeds based on what we want to engage with. Time to apply the same logic to watching sports to keep the viewers engaged, the objective of our time.