John McEnroe is playing tennis against a virtual version of himself on ESPN+

Michelob Extremely and ESPN have determined to make use of AI to reply an everlasting query: what would occur if tennis legend John McEnroe performed in opposition to himself? An upcoming ESPN+ particular entitled “McEnroe vs. McEnroe” will characteristic the 63-year-old star, who retired from singles competitors in 1992, enjoying in opposition to an advanced, AI-trained model of himself. 

According to TechCrunch, the method for the precise recreation is pretty concerned. After the true McEnroe sends a ball over the web, the AI avatar responds to its route and “swings” — at this level, a brand new ball is launched from a ball cannon, which is obscured by a smokescreen. The positioning of the ball cannon and smokescreen are designed to make the ball seem as if it is coming off the avatar’s racket. The avatar itself is projected onto a hologram particle display. This teaser beneath exhibits off a tantalizingly small quantity of footage.

As for a way this all got here collectively, the true McEnroe spent a day with manufacturing firm Unit 9, who used full-body movement seize and scans mixed with Unreal Engine’s MetaHuman Creator technology. Adweek says that the McEnroe avatar and its programming are based mostly on 5 totally different factors in McEnroe’s profession, together with his debut in 1979, his ascent to the highest of the game in 1981, and his last yr as a professional in 1992.

Apart from the work with the true McEnroe, Unit 9 additionally analyzed a whole lot of hours of footage from his profession and recorded 308 totally different photographs for the digital avatar. Provided that McEnroe is now 63, he’ll be enjoying in opposition to a a lot youthful model of himself — whether or not or not which means the AI could have the sting stays to be seen, in fact. If this considerably odd matchup has piqued your curiosity, TechCrunch says the particular will air tonight, Could seventh, on ESPN+ at 10PM ET.