Alibaba Group is changing the game for Paris Olympics broadcasting, highlighting cloud computing and AI. This significant move, led by Alibaba Cloud in alliance with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), is set to bring the Paris Games experience to millions of people worldwide to a different level.

On July 25, Alibaba Cloud and OBS unveiled OBS Cloud 3.0, a cutting-edge AI-enhanced platform poised to become the main channel for Olympic content distribution. This marks the end of the satellite broadcasting era, a technology which took charge since the 1964 Tokyo Games. For the first time, the Olympics will rely on a cloud-based platform to share the thrill and excitement globally.

OBS Cloud 3.0 offers media outlets exceptional access to official images and videos. As the official broadcasting arm of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), OBS manages the distribution of coverage, ensuring billions of viewers around the world wouldn’t be left behind. The shift to cloud-based broadcasting aligns perfectly with the rise of global AI, sparked by OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022.

Alibaba’s use of AI is not just for distribution. The company also plans to deploy its large language models to help commentators, improving the quality of their insights. This AI integration makes it more engaging for viewers as it aims to improve the depth of commentary.

Besides Alibaba, Chinese AI startup SenseTime will also support China’s men’s national basketball team in terms of data analysis and strategic insights, aiming for a competitive edge. Meanwhile, Intel and the IOC have produced an AI chatbot to assist athletes with various queries, from logistics to personal needs, enhancing their Olympic Village experience.

Google has indeed partnered with NBCUniversal to present their AI abilities, such as 3D maps of Olympic sites, an efficient information seeker, using which viewers can access the specific details, such as scorekeeping, registration, and anything else, of the different sports with ease. The ultra-high-definition broadcast, another first, assures the fans that they are closer to the action and that they will view the very best image quality and visual appeal available.

Selina Wayan, CEO of International Business of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, said that she was happy about the change that technology could bring to the Olympic game and the showing of the global technological stock of knowledge.