Are you ready for AI-Assisted Journalism?

Infosys is the Digital Innovation Partner for three major sporting organizations in Tennis – ATP, Australian Open, and Roland-Garros. As the Head of Corporate Communications for Infosys EMEA, I am heavily involved in these partnerships and have the privilege of working closely with the fantastic team that delivers innovations that are changing and improving the sporting experience for everyone. Let me be completely honest here - I am not a tennis expert. Far from it. My first experience watching tennis was at the ATP tournament 2018 when I first joined Infosys. I was completely mesmerised by the elegance of Federer’s movement on that court, which reminded me of watching ballet dancer Ivan Vasiliev perform. You could say I had the best kind of introduction to the sport, watching the greatest from up-close. 

If you are currently watching the Roland-Garros tournament, you may have noticed that leveraging Infosys’ technology platform; the tournament is delivering a digitally enhanced experience for everyone by facilitating virtual experiences and greater access for fans around the world. You may not know that these innovations are also helping with better training and analysis among players and coaches. Last but not least, what has impressed me the most is the AI capabilities that can now support journalists with their storytelling. There was a bit of chatter within our team about how much of a game-changer this was going to be, but I was quick to brush this off as an ex-journalist. Would AI replace the journalist? No, not at all. AI was going to assist the journalist by enabling intelligent post-match highlights, amongst many other things. After a 30 minutes demo done remotely, I was a believer. I would like to share with you the three areas where AI will be a great support to any sports desk:

The cognitive summary maker

The mid-point of Roland-Garros is a frantic period for any sports desk. The courts would be getting busier and fan interest on the rise as the top seeds make it to the round of 16. This year, 65 matches were played on Sunday, October 4th on 12 different courts. If you are covering the events of the day, you will be flipping between courts on devices and tabs on your screen to track the important moments to deliver more than the scores. This is where AI-Assisted Journalism comes to the rescue with its player performance trends for every match. 

If I was reporting on the king of clay versus Rafael Nadal versus Sebastian Korda, how do I find more to say other than just that Nadal barrelled through Korda with a clean sweep of 6-1, 6-1, 6-2? Well the AI helps me with a little star mark on the area of play with the most influence on the match: Korda made a whopping 48 unforced errors against Nadal’s 20. I have found my key stat right here. Now to report on Nadal’s progress over the tournament, the AI also tells me which area of play Rafa is doing better at: he is getting better at receiving points won, which means he is getting more dominant as the rounds go on. Just a couple of clicks gave me enough perspective to be able to tell a story. A few more clicks and I will be able to tell a better story for every match on Sunday if I wish to do so, something I might not have been able to do before at the pace I can now.

The automated graphic designer

There has been a big upset in the women’s singles: the number one seed Simona Halep has been ousted in straight sets by unseeded Iga Swiatek. The upset will of course require me to dig deeper. Again, the AI tells me that the game-changer was Swiatek’s 30 winners as compared to Halep’s 12, while the errors seemed to almost balance out: 15 for Halep and 20 for Swiatek. The numbers reveal Swiatek to be the more precise of the two, focused and dialed in with 30 winners. Infosys Rally Analysis reveals another great point of difference. The young Polish upstart raced ahead in the medium rallies, winning 25 of the rallies with 5 to 8 shots as opposed to the Romanian top seed’s 11 points won at the same shot length. As a journalist, I would be excited about these findings and in a rush to share this with my readers. All I need to do is click to download or embed this infographic into my article or share it across my social media. For whatever turning point I spot, AI can load up an infographic. Together with my trusted partner, AI I will be able to give the fans the in-depth analysis they are looking for.

The intuitive match analyst

Now for the big story and the big find of Roland-Garros: Hugo Gaston, the teenager hunting down the icons on clay. After toppling Stan Wawrinka, the French wonder boy almost eliminated last year’s finalist Dominic Thiem. Social media is abuzz with his style of play and there is a stat making the rounds: Gaston hit an otherworldly 58-drop shot. As a journalist, I would want to find out which of these were style and which were substance. Turns out, quite a few according to AI-Assisted Journalism: as many as 9 drop shots were winners and 25 were point-ending drop shots, influencing the outcome in Gaston’s favor or against. These points are also available to analyze in a video playlist of hits and misses, with highlights, a SWOT analysis, and a video workbench. If greatness lies in the details, AI has an eye for it.

Now all this analysis was just a day in the life of the tournament. On the busiest day, AI can enrich the stories by providing little slices and nudges of insight to reporters. I feel more relieved for all my ex-colleagues on the tennis beat: they can use their little AI helper to meet their deadlines and make sure the stories unique, each time.

The technology teams at Infosys and FFT have worked closely with the media division of Roland-Garros to ensure AI-Assisted Journalism was ready for the demands of match day. Their commitment to even in tough times has been inspiring to watch. AI-Assisted Journalism is one of 15 innovations that were all built and delivered remotely: these innovations are being celebrated as #15Love over the 15 days of the tournament.

While I am still not a tennis expert, you have to admit I have picked up quite a lot working for Infosys and being surrounded by my tennis crazy colleagues.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Behind the #15Love Experience: This blog series celebrates the spirit of collaboration and innovation that went into shaping the Roland-Garros 2020 digital landscape. Follow Infosys on LinkedIn to hear stories of passion and purpose from the teams at Infosys and French Tennis Federation (FFT), as they talk about the next normal in experiences, partnerships, technology, and branding.