ESPN is developing an artificial intelligence avatar called FACTS for its Saturday college football show SEC Nation. FACTS will use ESPN Analytics data, including Football Strength Index (FPI), player and team statistics, and game schedules to present sports analysis in a more educational and entertaining way. This avatar is known as a robot version of former ESPN statistician Howie Schwab, which aims to provide fans with a more convenient access to data, rather than replacing existing sports journalists or other talents. The project demonstrates ESPN's active exploration in leveraging artificial intelligence technology to enhance the audience experience.
Image:ESPN
FACTS is described as the robot version of Howie Schwab, the first statistician at ESPN, who was once the star of Stump the Schwab, a game show in the mid-2000s. However, ESPN emphasizes that FACTS is not intended to replace journalists or other talent, but to test innovation and create a channel for ESPN Analytics’ data that allows fans to access this data in an engaging and enjoyable way.
FACTS uses Nvidia's ACE (Avatar Cloud Engine), Azure OpenAI integration to support language processing, and uses ElevenLabs to implement its text-to-speech functionality. The avatar is still in development and it is not clear when it will debut on the ESPN network.
ESPN has also recently introduced generative AI on its website and launched a competition review written by AI. Meanwhile, the company announced that it will launch a truly standalone ESPN streaming channel in fall 2025.
The development of FACTS has revealed ESPN's active exploration of artificial intelligence technology in the field of sports reporting and analysis, and its future performance is worth looking forward to. By combining advanced AI technology and massive data, FACTS is expected to provide audiences with a more comprehensive and in-depth interpretation of sports events and enhance the viewing experience. Although still in development, its innovative attempts have brought new possibilities to the sports media industry.