Alibaba builds AI to predict the outcome of reality TV
Chinese internet giant Alibaba has built artificial intelligence that it hopes will be able to correctly predict the outcome of reality TV talent show I’m a Singer.
According to Tech in Asia, Alibaba’s technology uses performance information such as “voice pitch and energy,” and maps that against factors such as song choice and real-time audience response.
The results will be shown online, pitching the technology, named ‘Ai’, against the judges as the show is aired.
The experiment is being held as a "proof-of-concept" for the technology, with Alibaba suggesting that it’ll be used for purposes closer to its core business of online retail in the future.
It’s not the only internet company to be testing new technology on reality TV shows in Asia. This week Google announced that it was integrating the ability to vote on reality TV shows into its search results. People can now vote for the X Factor and Got Talent from within search results in Asia.
The Alibaba ‘Ai’ project is headed up by Dr. Min Wanli, the chief scientist for AI at Alibaba Cloud, who was previously part of the IBM TJ Watson Research Center.