IBM, USTA Serve Up Enhanced Generative AI Features at 2024 US Open

When the U.S. Open kicks off Monday, Aug. 19, fans and athletes will experience a new level of engagement throughout the tournament thanks to several watsonx-powered fan features coming to the event’s digital platforms. 

IBM and the USTA have teamed to introduce enhanced generative AI capabilities at the 2024 U.S. Open including detailed post-match summaries, improved AI commentary and a redesigned SlamTracker with advanced insights throughout the three-week event.

Additionally, the partnership will offer AI-driven professional development resources to students and educators, further enriching the U.S. Open experience.

New this year, IBM is introducing AI-generated match report summaries for every men’s and women’s singles match, available within minutes of each match’s conclusion. Utilizing IBM's watsonx platform, including the Granite 13B large language model designed for business and the USTA’s data and editorial standards, the reports will offer detailed post-match analysis, including player performance, statistics and highlights. IBM says the content will also be reviewed and updated with context and commentary from USTA editorial staff before being published. 

Preview of new 2024 IBM Match Report summaries. Credit: IBM

Match reports will allow the USTA to give fans timely coverage at an “unprecedented scale – for all 254 main draw singles matches across seven rounds and all seventeen courts,” IBM said. 

Related:Generative AI Offers Personalized Player Analysis for Fans at Wimbledon 2024

"Fans want more quality content around their favorite sports and athletes and IBM Match Reports enables us to deliver it right away for the U.S. 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."

An enhanced version of IBM’s AI commentary, first introduced last year is also returning to US Open digital platforms providing automated English audio and subtitles for summary highlight videos of the men’s and women’s singles matches.

IBM said this year it would use watsonx including the Granite 13B LLM to produce commentary that’s more frequent, expressive and contextually rich, publishing highlight packages minutes after a match ends.

IBM’s SlamTracker is fully redesigned this year, giving fans detailed insights before, during and after matches including win predictions, point-by-point analysis and bulleted previews and recaps for all men's and women's singles matches. 

Related:Wimbledon Brings Generative AI to the Court in IBM Partnership

"One of the key goals of the U.S. 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, senior 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."

IBM and the USTA’s philanthropic arm, the USTA Foundation, are also partnering to provide free career readiness training through IBM SkillsBuild for students from select USTA Foundation National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) chapters, teachers and the public. This initiative supports the USTA Foundation’s goal of increasing engagement in education among underserved youth and aligns with IBM’s commitment to skill 30 million people by 2030.