ESPN's AI Sports Recaps Fail to Capture Key Details

ESPN has begun using AI to automatically generate recaps for soccer games, with plans to include other sports. The AI, powered by Microsoft, writes the stories, while human editors review them for quality and accuracy. According to ESPN, this new approach is designed to enhance its existing content, not replace it.

While ESPN is not the first to adopt AI-generated sports coverage — The Associated Press has been using AI since 2016 — both outlets promote AI to efficiently cover lesser-known sports such as soccer and lacrosse.

However, these AI recaps have been criticized for their simplicity and lack of emotional insight. For instance, one recap from the National Women’s Soccer League failed to mention the significance of a player’s final game, a highly emotional moment.

Despite this early feedback, ESPN maintains that AI recaps will allow writers to focus on more detailed, in-depth stories. The network intends to expand AI-generated content to other sports, with soccer and lacrosse as initial testing grounds.

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