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

According to TechCrunch, the method for the precise recreation is pretty concerned. After the actual McEnroe sends a ball over the online, the AI avatar responds to its course 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 screen. This teaser beneath exhibits off a tantalizingly small quantity of footage.

As for a way this all got here collectively, the actual 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 primarily based on 5 completely different factors in McEnroe’s profession, together with his debut in 1979, his ascent to the highest of the game in 1981, and his closing 12 months as a professional in 1992.

Besides the work with the actual McEnroe, Unit 9 additionally analyzed a whole lot of hours of footage from his profession and recorded 308 completely different pictures for the digital avatar. Given that McEnroe is now 63, he’ll be enjoying towards a a lot youthful model of himself — whether or not or not meaning 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, May seventh, on ESPN+ at 10PM ET.