EA Sports is cloning a commentator’s voice for NHL 27 with their consent

EA Sports used artificial intelligence to clone the voice of new NHL 27 commentator John Buccigross, who approved the technology himself and personally reviews the generated lines.

EA used artificial intelligence to create some of the lines for new NHL 27 commentator John Buccigross, who supported the decision.

Buccigross shared on the Chirping Zebras podcast that recording commentary for a sports game is much more monotonous than it seems. Aside from every player’s last name, he has to record dozens of reactions to various game situations.

Because of this, EA began using AI to generate new lines based on his voice. Upon hearing the first examples, the commentator was surprised by the quality:

The AI does not operate completely on its own, however. Buccigross listens to the generated phrases and makes corrections.

EA previously used similar technology in EA Sports FC with the consent of Guy Mowbray. The company emphasizes that AI is meant to assist commentators rather than replace them.