[Report] AI Integrated into Suwon KT Wiz Park... From Entry to Cheering and Announcing in a Snap

AI Services Everywhere: Facial Recognition and Cheer Pool
'AI Voice' Fills the Announcer’s Absence

"The sound created by artificial intelligence (AI) was exactly the same as my own voice. It made me think coming back quickly was the right decision." (Sumi Park, in-stadium announcer at Suwon KT Wiz Park)

Sumi Park, the in-stadium announcer at Suwon KT Wiz Park, is sharing her thoughts on the AI voice that was utilized during her two-month leave of absence on the 3rd. Photo by Gyojo Noh

On the 3rd, Suwon KT Wiz Park began gathering spectators about two hours before the game started. It was set to be a day of intense competition between KT, which was on the verge of reclaiming first place, and Hanwha, which was aiming to end its eight-game losing streak.

Announcer Sumi Park expertly handled the opening, player introductions, and game proceedings that day. The surprising element was that her voice was interwoven with one created by AI. Even in the lively atmosphere, with fans cheering enthusiastically, there was no sense of anything out of place.

Perhaps because of this, Park spoke of a sense of crisis as she shared her thoughts on returning to work just over two months after giving birth. She said, "At first, I thought it was fortunate that they didn’t need to find a replacement for me. But when I actually heard it, I was surprised that the AI reproduced my voice so well—it made me think someone had just recorded me." She added, "Some players even said they hadn’t noticed I was away." Park went on, "I thought my own style of shouting during player introductions would be hard to imitate, but even that was similar," expressing repeated amazement at KT’s AI technology.

This was the result of KT training its proprietary AI voice synthesizer, 'KT TTS 2.0,' on recordings of Park’s actual voice. Development took one month. Jaehan Park, head of the Sound AI Team at the KT AX Future Technology Institute, explained, "With about 10 minutes of recordings, we can naturally replicate her tone, intonation, and speech style. By inputting any desired phrase, her voice can be produced immediately." However, he noted that communicating with fans in real time during games is still challenging for the AI. Park emphasized, "KT’s AI is meant to be supportive, not a replacement. When the announcer is on vacation or has a sore throat, we plan to utilize this technology."

On the 3rd, an onsite employee at Suwon KT Wiz Park demonstrated the AI facial recognition service. Photo by Gyojo Noh

AI is being used in other ways at KT Wiz Park as well. When entering the stadium, the 'AI facial recognition service' enhances convenience. This service has been in trial operation for this season with 500 season ticket holders, allowing entry through facial authentication without the need to present a mobile ticket or QR code. After receiving personal data consent and photo registration, access is streamlined. Dongjae Lee, head of KT’s sports marketing team for branding, said, "This not only speeds up entrance but also helps filter out scalped or fraudulent tickets. We plan to expand its application further while maintaining strict security."

Fans wearing their favorite players’ marked uniforms gathered in groups before the game, making use of the 'AI cheer pool service' as well. KT had previously showcased this technology at the '2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup'. By inputting a player’s name or a cheer phrase, the AI automatically creates cheer placards in various designs. Users can add emojis and decorate them like sticker photos. During the game, the generated cheers appear on the large scoreboard, customized for players and the current mood. On this day, a cheer reading "Came to see Choi Wonjun," made by a reporter, was displayed on the screen.

Lee added, "Visiting fans freely use the AI cheer pool service, and as the number of foreign spectators grows, we also provide AI real-time translation services on the scoreboard." He continued, "We introduced AI services first at the baseball stadium, where fans gather most autonomously, and we plan to apply them to other KT-affiliated sports like basketball as well."

On the 3rd, at the Suwon KT Wiz Park game, when player Choi Wonjun took the mound, a phrase created by the AI cheer pool service was displayed on the scoreboard. Photo by No Kyungjo

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.