Cricket Australia Uses AI Insights to Bring Fans Closer to the Action – Microsoft Source

Cricket Australia has enhanced fan engagement through the launch of AI Insights, a generative AI feature within its official mobile application that delivers real-time context during live matches.

The AI Insights feature, developed in partnership with Microsoft and HCLTech, uses OpenAI’s GPT-5 model hosted on Microsoft Azure to provide text-based updates on player milestones, records, and key moments as games unfold.

According to Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg, the feature was particularly impactful during the recent Ashes series against England, where it helped fans understand the significance of performances such as Travis Head’s 172-run innings in the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Greenberg noted that AI Insights identified Head’s score as his fifth-highest aggregate total in Test cricket, surpassed only by innings of 220 against Sri Lanka, 213 against the West Indies, 181 against India, and 180 against England.

The insights are designed to go beyond traditional scores and commentary by offering context that helps both experienced followers and newcomers better engage with the game.

Fans using the Cricket Australia Live app can access the AI Insights feature during matches and ask follow-up questions to deepen their understanding of ongoing play.

The feature was first launched during the Day-Night Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the CommBank Women’s Ashes series between Australia and England on January 31, 2025.

Cricket Australia has been 100 percent cloud-based since adopting Microsoft Azure in 2018, a foundation that enables the organization to scale its digital services during high-demand events such as Test matches.

Don Elliott, General Manager of Technology at Cricket Australia, stated that the cloud infrastructure allows the Live app to handle peak traffic while reducing operational costs, processing four times the workload of four years prior at half the expense.

HCLTech’s Sonia Eland emphasized that the partnership aims to reimagine how fans interact with sport by leveraging generative AI to bring them closer to the action.

The AI Insights matchday companion is now available to all users of the Cricket Australia Live app worldwide.

By integrating AI into its digital platform, Cricket Australia continues its strategy of enhancing fan engagement through personalized content while maintaining its commitment to grassroots development and operational efficiency.