Player Park Sang-hyun "Gladly YES to Introducing AI Park Sang-hyun"

AI in Game Broadcasting, Analysis, and Lessons
"Caution Against Overreliance on Technology but Useful for Professional Players"

"AI Park Sang-hyun can also readily say 'yes' if needed. I have played on the tour for a long time, and now I need to work hard for the juniors and the development of the golf industry."

Park Sang-hyun, a leading player of the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA), said this during an interview with reporters at the 'SK Telecom Open 2023' held at Jeju Pinx GC on the 18th.

Player Park Sang-hyun is answering a reporter's question at the 'SK Telecom Open 2023' held on the 18th at Jeju Pinx GC.
[Photo by SKT]

The SKT Open attracts attention every year by introducing new IT technologies. This year's SKT Open showcased the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, from live broadcasting of matches to off-course entertainment. The tournament's co-executive chairman, player Choi Kyung-ju, was turned into an AI human and utilized for game analysis, broadcasting, and one-point lessons, which became a hot topic.

The most notable technology was the 'AI Human One-Point Lesson' by AI Choi Kyung-ju. This service links SKT's AI human technology with Golfzon's GDR (Golfzone Driving Range) technology. When a player swings, AI Choi Kyung-ju analyzes the user's movements joint by joint, scores them, and provides improvement points. Choi himself also received lessons from AI Choi Kyung-ju and tried hitting again following the advice. Some players enthusiastically kept trying until they scored 100 points. Although it is AI Choi Kyung-ju, some gallery members politely respond with "yes" as if being coached by a real person. Park observed several players experiencing the 'AI Human One-Point Lesson' at the SKT Charity Open on the 17th.

Park said, "If AI is introduced to inform the characteristics of the golf course or analyze swings and handle everything automatically, players only need to focus on their golf shots and find their feel for the game." He added, "If AI analyzes details down to 0.1 seconds and 0.1 degrees, it will be useful even for professional players." He continued, "Of course, we must be cautious not to rely too much on technology. For sports players, feel is also important. If you refer to AI without losing your feel, it will play a tremendous role in the future."

At this year's SKT Open, a documentary featuring the meeting of boy AI Choi Kyung-ju and the real Choi was also aired. Initially planned for 3 minutes due to concerns about disrupting the flow of the broadcast, the airing time was doubled to 6 minutes after filming. Choi reportedly enjoyed the final product and laughed heartily.

This year also saw a bold attempt to introduce AI game analysis into live broadcast coverage. Park Hee-sang, head of SKT's Sports Content Planning Team, stated, "Recently, AI bots analyze real-time game data like writing sports articles, extract sentences, create text files, and AI Choi Kyung-ju reads them during live commentary." Media commerce was also introduced for the first time, allowing viewers to scan QR codes displayed on the screen during the game to purchase golf products at discounted prices.

Outside the course, AI was also prominent. To promote the AI assistant service 'A.Dot,' it recommended ice cream flavors based on psychological test results and prepared various goods, which were popular among the gallery.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.