by Angela Guess

According to a recent press release, “IBM and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) today announced that IBM Watson is coming to the US Open Tennis Championships for the first time via a new cognitive concierge feature being piloted within the tournament’s official mobile apps to enhance the fan experience at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The US Open mobile app Guest Services companion will pilot a Watson-enabled discovery tool that allows fans to input natural language questions and receive immediate responses about a range of tournament topics, such as transportation and directions, food and drink options, on-site services and facilities, as well as other topics.”

The release adds, “By tapping into the Natural Language API from theWatson platform, the AI-infused app will enable fans to ask questions in natural language and get the information they need to plan and navigate their tournament experience. For example, fans can ask questions like, ‘Where can I get a soda?’ or ‘Where are the taxi stands?’ Due to Watson’s machine learning capabilities, the app also continuously learns from previous interactions helping further refine its responses over time.”

It goes on, “Available for download, the Watson-enabled mobile apps for Apple iPad and iPhone, and Android devices are built to engage and inform US Open fans while enriching their understanding of the game – no matter where they are following the tournament. The apps also offer an interactive second screen experience for fans watching the Open on TV. In addition to integrating Watson’s cognitive capabilities into the US Open app, IBM and the USTA are tapping into other Watson services available through the IBM Bluemix hybrid cloud platform to deliver real-time analysis and insights about the tournament.”

Read more at PR Newswire.

Photo credit: IBM