EA Used AI To Clone John Buccigross’ Voice In NHL 27

Electronic Arts utilizes generative AI systems in its suite of development tools, and now another example has come to light. John Buccigross, the ESPN personality who joined the in-game broadcast booth for NHL 27 this year, has revealed that EA Sports used generative AI to simulate his voice in some scenarios. The developers seemingly did not disclose this prior to launch. He said on the Chirping Zebras podcast (via 23sabres) that the developers played some AI-produced lines back for him, and he said they were "pretty good." However, he also recalled times when the AI tools didn't get things completely right, so a human had to make corrections. He said in one scenario, the AI voice said, "And the crowd gets out of the chairs." In ice hockey, though, a commentator in reality would not say "chairs" but instead "seats." At the end of the day, Buccigross sounded pretty enthusiastic about the AI features in NHL 27. "If it means less work and the same check, I'll take it," he said. EA Sports previously used generative AI to help with its popular College Football series. The developers said the game would not have been as good without it. EA CEO Andrew Wilson is a big believer in utilizi…