espn is testing An AI-generated avatar Saturday with the College Football Show SEC NationDubbed FACTS, it will “…promote education and entertainment around sports analytics” with information drawn from ESPN Analytics, including data such as the Football Power Index (FPI), player and team statistics and game schedules. Are included. We haven't seen the avatar in action, but it looks like a bot-ified version of the Statistics Encyclopedia howie schwabwho was ESPN's first statistician and eventually star of the mid-2000s game show, stump schwab,
ESPN has already brought generic AI to its website AI-Written Game RecapFACTS is still in development, and there is no information about when it will first appear on the network.
In its ESPN Edge Innovation Conference announcement, the network claims that FACTS is “not at all” designed to replace reporters or other talent. “FACTS is designed to test innovations in the market and create an outlet for data from ESPN Analytics in an engaging and insightful segment for fans,” the company writes.