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AI vs. Viewers in a Direct Showdown! NHK Hosts "Pitch Prediction Battle" During Nippon Series Baseball
NHK will hold a viewer-participation event called "NHK Pro Baseball! Pitch Prediction Battle," linking TV and online platforms, for Game 2 of the Japan Series on October 29. The participation site is here.
This project utilizes "ZUNO-san," a baseball-specific AI developed by NHK and Dentsu Inc. It transforms the "humans vs. AI" dynamic, which has drawn attention in the worlds of Go and Shogi, into a format accessible to anyone: "Professional Baseball Fans vs. ZUNO-san."
No prior registration is required to challenge ZUNO-san. Participants can access the official ZUNO-san website during the game via smartphone, tablet, or PC. While watching the Japan Series broadcast on TV, predict the "location" and "pitch type" for each pitch and tap or click the corresponding area. Predictions can be changed multiple times until the pitch is completed.
ZUNO has learned over 3 million past at-bats from professional baseball and predicts the "next pitch type and location" based on situations like the score difference, number of pitches, runners on base, and count. ZUNO's accuracy rate over the past 10 games reached a maximum of 60.55% for pitch type and 21.16% for location.
In a NHK BS-1 program held ahead of the Japan Series, ZUNO faced off against former pitcher Naonari Takahashi, who played in both NPB and MLB, and comedian Hanamaru Hakata, a well-known Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks fan. ZUNO narrowly secured the victory. Footage of this preliminary showdown will air on NHK BS-1 from October 27th to 29th.
In the October 29th game, every pro baseball fan can face off against ZUNO. Each viewer's accuracy rate and win/loss result against ZUNO can be shared on social media after predicting 50 or more at-bats.
Baseball fans will naturally make their own predictions, such as "Aim for a strikeout with an inside high pitch here" or "Go for it with a slider here." Baseball fans confident in their pitch prediction skills are encouraged to participate and try this new way to enjoy baseball.
Additionally, the official website will announce the "Viewer Average" and "Highest Viewer Score" results at a later date.
■Target Games
October 29: Japan Series Game 2: Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks vs. Yokohama DeNA BayStars
NHK BS-1, 6:30 PM, Play Ball
ZUNO Official Website: http://www4.nhk.or.jp/zuno-san/
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