Publishers in Scotland and the US are making their first moves into automated sports reporting.
Publisher of the Aberdeen Press & Journal DC Thomson has become the first UK user of United Robots’ technology to produce automated junior football match content.
The automatically generated articles make use of a “Q&A” function which adds human contributions to reports. After producing an article, the robot texts questions relevant to the match result to team coaches. The comments are then automatically inserted into articles published on The Press and Journal/Evening Express site.
In the US, Forum Communications is using the robot technology to produce “more robust coverage” for ice hockey fans”.
Robot-written game reports from junior leagues are being delivered for ice hockey vertical The Rink Live in the US upper Midwest, United Robots’ first delivery of automated sports content to a US publisher.
The Rink Live general manager Neal Ronquist says that while nothing can replace the work of their journalists, the technology affords opportunities to cover more teams and more players in an efficient and creative manner. “As we learn more about what our audience members value, we will continue to explore all avenues to increase the amount of unique, engaging hockey content we deliver,” he says.