Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) has highlighted its concerns over the risk of “deepfakes” amid the increasing use of AI technologies.
As part of a push by the IOC to further embrace artificial intelligence at the Paris 2024 Games, the host broadcaster will be taking the technology to a “completely different level,” OBS chief executive, Yiannis Exarchos, told Reuters at an event in London.
Exarchos said OBS had teamed up with Chinese retail company and Olympic sponsor, Alibaba, to use AI for 360-degree assisted replays.
OBS is also working with official Paris Games timekeeper, Omega, for “enhanced data… whether that’s additional explanations generated by AI or following athletes.”
AI-originated highlights will be generated with assistance from chip maker, Intel. “The Olympics has a huge amount of content so our broadcasters will be able to generate very, very fast highlights of different events per country, per athlete, per sport, per mood, and customise the experience for the audience whether it is traditional television or social,” said Exarchos.
The growth in AI solutions has led to digital fabrications through deepfake technology, with Exarchos voicing OBS’ concerns over “tampering with reality.” Confirming the broadcaster’s focus on protecting against manipulation of digital media, Exarchos said, “We need to fully protect the integrity of competition… that would be a risk for sports.”
OBS’ clients include some of the biggest media companies in the world. “They recognise this risk exists. They are taking a number of measures to protect the Olympic content from any such possibilities,” Exarchos added.
“The concerns that fans have is (sic) very legitimate. I am a huge believer in the possibilities of technology but precisely because I understand how technology can be wrong, I think we all need to be vigilant. We need to go to trusted sources to get our information.”
