SPORTS

Digital Fans Infiltrate the Bubble

Sports are back, but live fans won’t be for awhile (unless they’re at a rugby game in New Zealand). The National Bubble Association wants to fix this issue by putting fans in digital stands with Microsoft Teams.

Teams x basketball teams

Microsoft Teams recently announced Together mode, a videoconferencing feature that uses “AI segmentation technology” to place meeting participants in stadium-style seating. 

• I tried it before launch, and though it felt slightly awkward, I could see the feature increasing participants’ attentiveness. 

This week, the NBA is building the physical infrastructure for its virtual fans: a 17-foot-tall courtside LED screen on three sides of the arena. Each match-up will have 300+ fans who see each other and a live feed of the game in Teams. 

In April, the NBA and Microsoft announced they would jointly develop an AI-powered direct-to-consumer streaming app. Some of the tech they’re building made its way to Orlando, where the NBA will offer new game-viewing angles from robotically controlled cameras. 

The sport-tech crossover collab isn’t new

• Fox Sports is using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine to place virtual (fake) fans in MLB stadiums.  
• Amazon Web Services and the NFL are working together. 
• In an alternate universe where the 2020 Olympics happened, Tokyo would be tricked out with an electrified Toyota fleet, autonomous shuttles, facial recognition, VR, esports, and Intel’s 3D Athlete Tracking system. 

Sports leagues = media companies

When it wasn’t safe for athletes to compete, leagues used technology to keep fans entertained. Nascar and F1 held virtual races. NBA players played 2K. And now that they’re restarting, sports leagues must get creative with how they reach fans. 

Final note: The Phillies’ mascot walked around Citizens Bank Park high-fiving cardboard cutouts this weekend. 

That beats the cutouts fighting each other or leaving the game early, but I’m wondering if there’s a better use of the space. I asked Twitter: “If you're a team considering virtualizing your stadium seat inventory, do you go with fans or ads?” Let me know what you think.

AV

The Indy Autonomous Challenge

Let’s keep the competitive sports theme going. 

In October 2021, autonomous vehicles (AVs) will race 20 laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Universities around the world will supply the software smarts for modified race cars and compete for $1.5 million. 

“To us, racing is a proving ground. It’s the stress test for AI,” a UVA team member told the WSJ. It’s true. When your self-driving car is going 200 mph, the margin for error is pretty low. 

A familiar playbook 

• In the 2000s, Darpa (the Pentagon’s research arm) held the Grand Challenge, a series of driverless races that kickstarted the AV industry we know today.
• Darpa is currently holding the Subterranean Challenge, a competition for underground robots and drones. 
• Non-government agencies also run competitions. Last year, the Drone Racing League (DRL) launched an AI racing tournament. 

Bottom line: Human racers and pilots > AI alternatives (for now). The goal is to close the performance gap and push the envelope of what’s possible with technology.

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How AI Is Helping Weather Forecasters Predict the Unpredictable

If there’s one thing we can count on, it’s that we can never quite count on the weather. But that’s changing. Scientists are now using powerful high performance computers and massive data sets that utilize AI to create more accurate and farther-reaching forecasts. 

Better, smarter forecasting provides communities with the information they need to properly prepare for various weather events. For example, advancements in forecasting can save lives during severe weather, help farmers yield stronger crops, and even protect valuable property.

“Using AI for forecasting isn’t new, but the push to use it more and to use it differently is new,” says Sue Ellen Haupt, senior scientists and deputy director at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research.

With AI testing continuing apace, there is much to be optimistic about. According to independent industry analyst Jeff Kagan, “These technologies going forward will be used to change every industry. We’re just taking the first steps into this new world.”

The future of forecasting is here, and AI is leading the charge. Read on to learn more.

5G

Life in the Low Band

On Thursday, AT&T announced its low-band 5G network is now available to 205 million Americans. That’s a key milestone for the carrier, because the Federal Communication Commission qualifies a “nationwide” network as one that’s available to 200 million consumers. 

As for the other two carriers you’re inevitably thinking of: T-Mobile flipped the switch on its nationwide low-band network last December. So far, Verizon has prioritized millimeter-wave deployments. It plans to launch a low-band network later this year. 

• Low-band spectrum brings only modest speed boosts over 4G networks, but it offers better coverage and range than high-band/mmWave frequencies. Plus, it’s cheaper. 

Zoom out: Look beyond where coverage is expanding to how 5G subscriptions are priced. In a few weeks, AT&T will expand 5G access to its cheapest unlimited plan. Until then, 5G support is only included in the two most expensive premium tiers.  

+ For technical details and industry info, check out the Brew’s Guide to 5G. Then, once you’ve sufficiently absorbed the information, take the 5G trivia quiz.

BITS & BYTES

Stat: Brain Corp supplies autonomous software for retail cleaning robots. The company told me robot usage was up 24% in Q2, and the BrainOS-powered fleet is doing 11,000 hours of work a day.

Quote: “I am a model and I know that artificial intelligence will eventually take my job.”—Sinead Bovell in Vogue. 

Read: Deloitte writes about Web 3.0 (or the Spatial Web), which shifts end-user experiences from screen-based interfaces to interactions in physical spaces.

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WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Garmin was hit by a ransomware attack. 
• The U.S. is building a quantum internet. 
• Bitcoin exceeded $10,000. 
• Intel fumbled its transition to the 7nm process.
• Coinbase has 35 million customers.
• Details on Tesla’s new Cybertruck factory in Austin, Texas, emerge.

WHAT'S BREWING THIS WEEK

Monday: Huawei's three-day Better World Summit. The 643-year anniversary of the first documented quarantine in Ragusa (now Dubrovnik). This has nothing to do with tech, but I thought it was pretty unique and timely. 

Tuesday: Earnings (eBay, AMD, NXP Semiconductors, Nissan). 

Wednesday: Big Tech antitrust hearing; earnings (Qualcomm, Spotify, Shopify, Samsung, PayPal)

Thursday: Earnings (Facebook, Apple, Google, Amazon, LG, EA). 

Friday: Pinterest earnings. Saturday is August and we will be 58% of the way through 2020.  

TECH THINGAMABOBS

For robo-redemption: Jibo is a beloved social robot on life support. Now, it has a new owner and will stay alive, The Verge reports.  

For two profiles: Wired has a feature on Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s digital minister who got out in front of the pandemic. And The Guardian sat down with Yaël Eisenstat, Facebook’s former head of election integrity who was sidelined after taking the position. 

ICYMI

Catch up on the top Emerging Tech Brew stories from the past few editions: 

• Apple in the antitrust hot seat
• Banks can offer crypto custody services, OCC says
• GPT-3 generates hype in closed beta