As the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games progress, cutting-edge AI technology developed by the Chinese mainland is redefining how athletes, officials, and global audiences interact with the world's premier winter sports event. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has deployed its first official large language model (LLM) in Olympic history, powered by Chinese technical expertise, to streamline operations and enhance public engagement.
For participating delegations, an AI assistant enables real-time multilingual access to critical logistical information, eliminating language barriers that previously complicated preparations. IOC President Kirsty Coventry praised the system's efficiency, stating it 'opens new possibilities for the Olympic Movement' while acknowledging China's technological contributions.
Public-facing innovations include a global 'Olympic AI Assistant' providing instant answers to competition-related queries through natural language processing. Meanwhile, broadcast enhancements like AI-powered 'bullet time' cinematography at 10 major venues are transforming winter sports viewing. This technology captures high-speed events like alpine skiing and ski jumping with multi-angle precision, allowing audiences to appreciate athletes' split-second maneuvers in unprecedented detail.
Olympic Broadcasting Services CTO Sotiris Salamouris emphasized how these advancements help viewers 'better understand these dynamic sports and fully appreciate athletes' extraordinary achievements.' With Chinese-developed AI now embedded in core operations and global broadcasts, the 2026 Games set a new benchmark for technological integration in international sporting events.
