Veritone signs Alan Smith for the World Cup

Sky Sports commentator and pundit Alan Smith’s voice has been cloned by Veritone’s AI system to cover the World Cup on the Opta Voice platform.

Powered by Veritone Voice and made in partnership with Stats Perform, Opta Voice has an AI voice give updates on a phone or computer in the user’s local language using Opta data. It was launched in October, and includes automated match previews and post-match, recaps, player bios and play-by-play.

This allows commentators and announcers to be heard in new languages and on concurrent events.

Smith said: “The ability to reach audiences around the world in their local language opens up a host of new opportunities for broadcasters and provides the best possible experience for the passionate fans. Providing one voice creates consistency for audiences and it’s a privilege that the selected voice will be the AI version of mine.”

Stats Perform chief revenue officer Steve Xeller added: “We’re thrilled to already see the impact of our recent partnership with Veritone coming to life. Broadcasters and sports organizations can now leverage lifelike voice options in a wide range of languages for their stats reporting, reaching new fan bases around the globe, and providing better services to those who may not speak the host language, as well as those with visual impairments.”

Veritone president Ryan Steelberg commented: “We continue to expand our offerings and capabilities in sport and to help broadcasters and other organizations scale their reach and best engage their audiences. We’re excited to help Alan Smith reach fans around the world with his beloved sports commentary and insights.”