In a shocking recent announcement at the New Global Sports Conference 2024 in Riyadh, Danny Tang, co-founder and CFO of VSPO, has revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) is now playing a crucial role in nearly half of the esports tournaments organised by the company. This integration has apparently significantly enhanced production efficiency and fan engagement across the extensive portfolio of events.

With an impressive annual output of over 80 tournaments and 7,000 matches, VSPO stands as Asia's largest Esports organisation, boasting an online fan base exceeding 800 million. At the conference, which attracted more than 1,200 industry leaders, Tang emphasised the transformative impact of AI on tournament operations. "Over the past couple of years, we have developed numerous AI tools that allow us to produce esports tournament content in a much more efficient manner," he stated.

Two proprietary AI tools that were highlighted by Tang during his presentation are AIOB and AICam. AIOB is an advanced algorithm trained on extensive tournament data that helps directors find and broadcast the most thrilling moments in real-time. With this tool, it ensures that fans will not miss critical gameplay highlights.

AICam, on the other hand, automates the selection and editing of highlights, transforming hours of gameplay footage into engaging social media clips within seconds. This rapid content creation is crucial for maintaining fan interest and engagement in today's fast-paced digital environment.

Additionally, Tang discussed VSPO's collaboration with Qualcomm on the Snapdragon "Faith of Victory" initiative, which focuses on developing an emotion detection system for esports athletes. This AI system analyses facial expressions and heart rates to provide real-time insights into players' emotional states, further enriching the viewer experience by adding a layer of depth to player performance analysis.

As VSPO continues to innovate, Tang indicated that the company is also working on integrating its AI technologies into its award-winning 4K OB Truck. This mobile production unit has already showcased its capabilities during the Hangzhou Asian Games, where esports was featured as a medal sport for the first time. The integration promises to enhance on-the-go content creation and broadcasting of and for high-profile esports events.

Ajmain is a contributor at The Daily Esports.