Aside from the milestone that the FIBA World Cup is held in the Philippines for the first time, this year’s tournament also introduced an interesting tech innovation with Pearl, who is best described as a “digital human” that will interact with fans.
Stationed at special stands in Smart Araneta Coliseum and Mall of Asia Arena, Pearl is a “digital human” that’s powered by ChatGPT. She has the ability to see and hear, along with being able to converse with fans in both English and Filipinos. You can ask Pearl various questions ranging from basketball games, location of your seat, down to where to get snacks and what things you can do in Manila if you are a tourist.
“We are thrilled at the chance to bring these next-generation technologies to Filipino basketball fans as we adapt more innovative and customer-centric digital solutions. We will learn from the interactions that the fans will have with Pearl, and we will continue to improve the live stadium experience for future events,” PLDT President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio said.
The idea of making a “digital human” is made possible by NTT DATA, along with NTT Ltd. and NTT DATA Business Solutions, who partnered with the PLDT group for the unique innovation at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Beyond being a chatbot, Pearl has a mix of computer smarts that allows her to talk like a human–and even show expressions like a real person.
The idea is not a new one, as NTT Data previously used the same concept on other big sports events like the Tour de France, Indy Car series, and Major League Baseball.
