AI-powered virtual hosts bring new experiences to sports stadiums

An AI-powered virtual host is helping fans of the San José Sharks ice hockey team access information and interactive experiences at SAP Center (pictured) in California, as technology company LiveX expands its conversational artificial intelligence platform across stadiums and other public venues.

The Palo Alto-based company has launched its AI City platform, combining multilingual assistance, interactive navigation and personalised recommendations through life-size, human-like digital hosts. Unveiled at Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, the technology is deployed at more than 100 customer sites, including stadiums, airports, hospitals, hotels and retail outlets.

At SAP Center, the AI Host features an animated version of Sharks player Macklin Celebrini, allowing fans to ask questions about the team, participate in interactive trivia and take shareable selfies.

Jia Li, Co-founder, President and Chief AI Officer at LiveX, told Cities Today that the technology addresses challenges common to stadiums and other busy public spaces, including unfamiliar layouts, large crowds and language barriers.

“[This] addresses the same core challenges: large, unfamiliar spaces, crowds arriving all at once, and visitors who may not speak the local language,” she said, referring to SAP Center and San José Mineta International Airport. “Instead of hunting for an information desk or scanning a static map, visitors can simply walk up and ask, in their own language, with no app or download required.”

The SAP Center system draws on Sharks-approved team and game-day content, while NVIDIA retrieval technology helps identify relevant answers. LiveX provides the hardware, AI platform and content management, allowing venues to update information as schedules and events change.

Li said operating in crowded environments had required particular attention to voice recognition and response times.

“The biggest lesson is that conversation has to work in the real world, not just in a quiet demo room,” she said. “Standard voice recognition degrades sharply once crowd noise passes roughly 85 decibels, the level of a busy concourse or stadium concession stand.”

LiveX has developed noise-management technology to isolate individual voices from music, announcements and crowd noise, enabling conversations in busy environments. Each Host can also engage groups of up to 12 people simultaneously, allowing families and groups of fans to interact together.

The AI City launch introduces interactive 3D navigation capabilities that could guide stadium visitors to their seats in real time. LiveX is also preparing to introduce Portal, a smaller wall- or stand-mounted device designed to extend AI assistance throughout venues.

Main image:  Linda Williams | Dreamstime.com