NHL 27 announcer admits EA is using AI for some commentary

EA SPORTS' NHL 27 lead announcer John Buccigross revealed on the Chirping Zebra's podcast that the game uses AI-generated commentary, which sometimes makes mistakes he must correct, such as saying 'chairs' instead of 'seats.' The admission has sparked backlash from NHL fans, with one saying 'This clip alone explains how far EA has fallen.'

NHL 27 announcer John Buccigross has admitted that EA SPORTS has been using AI to generate some commentary in-game, but it is making mistakes that he has to fix. Artificial Intelligence has long been used in video game development, with generative AI helping https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/game-dev-convinced-90-of-games-are-already-made-by-ai-3192733/ produce some locations in different games, generate characters, and their voice lines as well. When it comes to sports games, fans have long feared that AI might ultimately replace their favorite announcers. They believe it would take away from the authenticity and remove some pieces of iconic commentary that they still quote when not playing the games. Well, with the launch of EA SPORTS’ NHL 27, new lead announcer John Buccigross has admitted that the developers have been using AI to help fill in different spots. However, it isn’t perfect. NHL 27 is using AI in some commentary Speaking on the Chirping Zebra’s podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKTngM-27QM , Buccigross noted that he has guided the devs when mistakes have been made. “They’re using some AI now; they played me some stuff back of my voice. It’s like ‘Wow, that’s pretty good ’ If that means less work but the same check, I’ll take it,” the NHL announcer said. “Sometimes AI will get something wrong. One of the guys was playing it back, and a lot of these guys maybe aren’t hardcore sports fans; they’re video game extrordinares. They’re not always up on the vernacular. So they’re playing back my AI voice, and they’re like, ‘Score And the crowd gets out of their chairs ’ I was like, ‘No, they’re not chairs. They look like chairs, but we call them seats.’” Buccigross added that they are “little” mistakes, but the “words matter” to sports fans, so you have to get it right by putting the time in to help the AI learn. The reveal has, however, drawn some backlash online from NHL fans. “This clip alone explains how far EA has fallen,” one said. “This absolutely SUCKS,” another added. “Absolutely pathetic,” another commented. Elsewhere, Saber CEO Matthew Karch responded to claims that a writer was replaced by ChatGPT for their new game Rideshare. https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/saber-ceo-responds-to-claims-writer-was-replaced-by-chatgpt-controversy-explained-3398028/