By Frank Pingue
OAKMONT, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -The rules of golf can be complex but at this week’s U.S. Open an interactive artificial intelligence avatar is offering a glimpse into how golfers can get instant answers to questions, even what to do if you encounter an alligator on the course.
Inside a hospitality suite overlooking the 17th green at Oakmont Country Club are three demo terminals that feature an avatar of USGA rules expert Jay Roberts standing with steepled fingertips and awaiting any questions about golf rules.
To interact with the Rules of Golf AI Avatar, a user must tap and hold their finger on the screen while asking a question in either English, Spanish or Mandarin and then get answered in that same language.
When asked what to do if a golfer finds an alligator in the same bunker where their ball is, the avatar quickly shows some mental wit: “An alligator in the bunker, now that’s a hazard.”
The avatar then proceeds to tell the user they can either take free relief by dropping their ball at the nearest point in the bunker where they are safe, no closer to the hole, or take a penalty stroke and drop outside the bunker.
Deloitte, in collaboration with the United States Golf Association, created the demo using four years of USGA expert-answered rules inquiry data, combined with advanced AI to provide real-time and accurate answers to rules questions.
The avatar is not yet accessible to the broader community or stakeholders that the USGA works with but could ultimately serve players through an app on their phone or perhaps on a screen in their golf cart.
According to Lou DiLorenzo, Deloitte’s National AI & Data Strategy leader, the technology can help further educate golfers on the rules of the game, which can help ensure fair play and perhaps even speed up the pace of play.
“What we are doing here is using technology to help make the game and the rules more accessible, which is good for more people to enjoy playing it under fair play conditions,” DiLorenzo told Reuters.
“Ultimately we think it’s going to help increase speed of play, we think it’s going to help the interaction between the USGA and the courses that it serves and ultimately the membership that it represents.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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