Facial recognition clears fans in 1 second; AI-generated cheering signs roll out in 30

Veteran announcer's real voice trained into AI to cover two-month absence

KT Corp vows to refine AI services and shape a new sports-viewing culture

An AI-powered facial recognition device installed at KT Wiz Park. [Courtesy of KT Corp]
An AI-powered facial recognition device installed at KT Wiz Park. [Courtesy of KT Corp]

At around 5:30 p.m. Thursday at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, more than 10,000 baseball fans had already packed the area outside the stadium ahead of a Korea Baseball Organization game between the Hanwha Eagles and the KT Wiz.

Just as the wait seemed destined to drag on, one entrance lane moved with surprising speed. A female fan glanced at a facial recognition device and the gate swung open in a second — no paper ticket, no mobile QR scan. Season-ticket holders using the system sailed through.

The facial recognition gates also rendered scalped tickets useless. KT Corp plans to gradually expand the system to more entry points.

KT Wiz Park has reinvented itself as a next-generation ballpark powered by AI, and the technology was visible throughout the venue.

An AI cheering-sign kiosk installed at KT Wiz Park. Visitors pose with signs they created at the booth. [Courtesy of KT Corp]
An AI cheering-sign kiosk installed at KT Wiz Park. Visitors pose with signs they created at the booth. [Courtesy of KT Corp]

An hour before first pitch, a crowd gathered around the AI cheering-sign booth. One woman typed in the phrase "KT Wiz, let's win the championship this year," selected a design, and watched the screen display "Preparing AI image." Seconds later, a large-print banner in red and yellow rolled out of the machine.

From the moment she entered her message to the moment the sign printed, the whole process took less than 30 seconds.

Inside the stadium, the voice of park announcer Park Su-mi filled the air — a familiar sound to fans, even though Park had been away from the ballpark for two months on maternity leave after 12 years on the job.

KT Corp covered her absence with an "AI voice" announcer generated using the company's own speech-synthesis technology, KT TTS 2.0, trained on Park's actual voice. The system replicates her distinctive timbre, intonation and the natural flow of her delivery.

KT TTS 2.0 also adjusts its expression depending on context, accounting for the full arc of each announcement. When introducing players, for instance, it stretches out their names and raises the pitch on the final syllable — just as a live announcer would.

"A lot of people told me they had no idea I'd been away because the AI voice sounded so much like the real me," Park said. "If the technology gets any better, there might not be a place for me at all — so I'm glad I made it back in time."

The AI voice system installed at KT Wiz Park. [Courtesy of KT Corp]
The AI voice system installed at KT Wiz Park. [Courtesy of KT Corp]

KT Corp has woven a range of other AI technologies into the game-day experience: an "AI human" trained on players' faces and voices, AI-generated video content for the scoreboard, real-time AI translation of public-address announcements, an AI robot delivery service, and a "motion-analysis fan cam" that recognizes fans' cheering gestures and overlays visual effects.

The goal is to give fans an AI-touched experience at every stage — from entering the gates to the final out. KT Corp plans to refine its AI services further based on user feedback gathered at KT Wiz Park.

"We are offering a range of services built on smart technology so fans can enjoy games more conveniently," said Lee Dong-jae, head of KT Corp's sports marketing team. "Rather than a one-off event, we will keep these services running throughout every game, continuously improving them to create a new culture of sports spectatorship."


ko@heraldcorp.com