HUNT VALLEY, Md.—In a notable sign of the spread of AI technologies into TV operations, Sinclair has announced the company has taken its first steps into usage of generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) as a way to expand the reach of its original content.
Sinclair reported that it will begin using AI for language translation beginning with “Petko Unfiltered,” a Tennis Channel series with network analyst Andrea Petkovic, a former WTA world #9 player. “Petko Unfiltered” provides an in-depth and unfiltered first-person perspective on trending tennis topics.
The episodes, which are recorded and presented by Tennis Channel in English in several European countries and on its second network T2 in the United States, will be translated into Spanish to air on Tennis Channel in Spain beginning later this month.
For this initiative, Sinclair said it collaborated with HeyGen, a leading generative AI video company, specializing in voice translation and lip-sync services, transforming the way businesses use video to enable global storytelling.
As part of the push into AI, Sinclair stressed that it is committed to creating trusted content. For full transparency, the episodes will include a disclosure slate explaining the AI usage and a QR code linking to https://www.tennis.com/ai which will provide a comparison of episode language versions.
“Generative AI is set to transform the world we live in; and Sinclair is enthusiastic about leveraging the technology to make our original content accessible to a bigger audience through language translation,” explained Chris Ripley, president and CEO of Sinclair, Inc. “At the same time, we believe that upholding ethical standards in media through AI implementation is paramount. We recognize our duty to employ AI with integrity and transparency, to safeguard not only our industry’s reputation but also the trust of our audiences. At Sinclair, we take this responsibility seriously, which is why we have chosen to voluntarily and proactively join the leading organizations dedicated to promoting responsible practices.”
Sinclair also stressed that it belongs to organizations working to protect content provenance and address misinformation including Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), the leader in the global effort to address digital misinformation and content authenticity, focused on promoting and providing an open, cross-industry approach to media transparency, and the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), a formal coalition dedicated exclusively to drafting technical standards and specifications as a foundation for universal content provenance.
In addition, Sinclair has created SAIF – Sinclair AI Forum, an internal, interdepartmental AI workgroup to facilitate knowledge sharing, governance, compliance, and strategic guidance across the company.
