NBC Sports makes questionable decision for 2025-26 NBA production

Excuse us while we retch.

Haven't we already been force-fed enough AI? Whether through our phones, search engines or art, AI has spread exponentially in the 2020s. It would be nice if some things were left untouched.

Per Marchand, Fagan's artificial voice will be used "to create modern promos with an old-time feel."

"NBC said it will also hire current vocal artists to complement their presentations," Marchand continued.

It seems like a better use of NBC's resources to use the money its spent on AI no one asked for to recruit and develop modern voice talent.

NBC is heavily relying on nostalgia as a driving marketing tool in its NBA coverage. The network recently gained the rights to its classic '90s theme — John Tesh's "Roundball Rock" — for its new era of NBA coverage.

While we're certainly excited to hear those dulcet tones, we're much less enthused about the use of AI to lean into that era's aesthetic.

The network should spend more time looking toward the future, creating another legacy we'll look fondly back at 30 years from now.

We venture to guess an AI recreation of '90s-era promos won't make the cut of things we remember most fondly about NBC's upcoming NBA coverage that runs through the 2035-36 season.

NBC has time to hit the right notes, but this latest update falls flat.