On September 3, 2026, baseball fans streaming into Suwon’s KT Wiz Park were greeted by more than the familiar crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd—they were stepping into a new era of sports entertainment. KT, one of South Korea’s leading telecommunications giants, has transformed its home stadium into a living showcase of artificial intelligence, blending cutting-edge technology with the timeless excitement of live baseball. The result? An 'AI Stadium' that’s changing the way fans experience the game, one innovation at a time.
From the moment fans approach the gates, AI is everywhere. Season ticket holders who registered their facial photos in advance now breeze through facial recognition gates—no need for mobile tickets or QR codes. This system, developed in collaboration with Toss, is currently exclusive to season ticket holders but will expand to more fans in 2027. Not only does it speed up entry, but it’s also proven effective at curbing ticket fraud, a persistent issue at major sporting events.
Once inside, the AI experience truly comes alive. The outfield scoreboard flashes a message: ‘AI real-time translation in progress.’ As the stadium announcer introduces the starting lineup or the cheerleader rallies the crowd, English subtitles instantly appear, courtesy of KT’s real-time AI translation service. This feature isn’t just a technological flex; it’s a thoughtful nod to Suwon’s international community, including the sizable contingent from the nearby Pyeongtaek U.S. military base. According to KT, the introduction of this service has spurred a 57% jump in foreign spectators compared to last year—a remarkable testament to the power of accessibility in sports.
The voice echoing through the stadium may sound familiar, but it’s not always human. Since early July, KT has leveraged AI voice synthesis to replicate the voice of Park Su-mi, the beloved stadium announcer who’s been with KT Wiz since the team’s inception in 2013. Park, the only female stadium announcer in Korea, recently took maternity leave, but her presence lingered thanks to KT’s prompt-based TTS (Text-to-Speech) AI. By training the system on just 10 minutes of Park’s recorded speech, KT’s AI team was able to create a voice model so lifelike that even seasoned fans and players couldn’t tell the difference.
Park herself was astonished by the results. “When I saw the SNS video, I thought it was a recording of my voice,” she told reporters during a media demonstration at the stadium. “Hearing it live, it was even more similar. Some players later said they didn’t realize I wasn’t there.” The AI announcer is no mere monotone robot, either. Using natural language prompts, the system can inject energy into player introductions (“First baseman—Go~Young~Pyo!”), dial up the solemnity for the national anthem, or keep things calm and steady for public announcements. Park admitted, “I thought the AI wouldn’t be able to shout the player introductions, but when I saw it, I was surprised it could.”
This flexibility is more than a party trick. With Park’s basketball commitments to Suwon KT Sonicboom overlapping with baseball duties in October, the AI voice will allow her to be in two places at once—broadcasting live at the basketball opener while her AI counterpart keeps things running smoothly at the ballpark. In the future, KT plans to roll out the AI voice system at basketball games as well, extending the reach of its technology across multiple sports.
But the AI revolution doesn’t stop at voices. KT has introduced a suite of fan-focused services designed to make every visit memorable. The AI cheerful service is a hit among fans: enter your favorite player’s name or a custom cheer, and within a minute, the generative AI creates a unique design, which can be displayed on the scoreboard or printed as a hand-held sign. An AI fan cam recognizes fans’ movements, overlaying playful graphics—think hearts or angel wings—on the big screen in real time, adding a dash of fun to the fan experience.
Even the players are getting the AI treatment. KT has produced AI-generated videos featuring players delivering safety messages in their own likeness and voice, further blurring the line between digital and reality. One such video features KT Wiz player Oh Won-seok reminding fans, “Please check the location of the emergency exit closest to your seat.” These details, while small, demonstrate KT’s commitment to both fan engagement and safety.
The reaction from the public has been overwhelmingly positive. One KT Wiz fan, interviewed by YTN, confessed, “AI? No, I didn’t know it was AI. I always hear ‘Starting Lineup!’ and didn’t feel anything was different today.” That seamlessness is exactly what KT was aiming for—technology that enhances the experience without getting in the way.
KT’s ambitions for the AI Stadium go far beyond baseball. According to company representatives, the successful deployment of AI services at KT Wiz Park serves as a real-world testbed for future applications. Prompt TTS, the AI voice system, is slated for expansion into KT’s customer centers, AICC, promotional campaigns, and media content. The facial recognition system, currently limited to season ticket holders, is expected to roll out to all fans next year. And the AI translation and fan engagement tools could find their way into other venues, both in sports and beyond.
Behind the scenes, the development of these technologies has been swift and focused. Park Jae-han, KT’s Sound AI Team leader, explained that it took about a month to create the AI voice model after learning of Park Su-mi’s maternity leave. By leveraging just 10 minutes of her voice data, the team was able to craft a system that not only mimics her sound but adapts to different emotional cues and speaking styles, making every announcement feel authentic and lively.
The integration of AI into Suwon KT Wiz Park is part of a broader strategy to make the stadium a space where fans can experience the future of sports firsthand. Whether it’s entering the park with a smile and a scan, cheering on favorite players with personalized AI-generated signs, or catching a glimpse of themselves on the big screen with digital effects, fans are at the heart of this technological transformation.
As the 2026 season continues, KT’s AI Stadium stands as a bold experiment in blending tradition with innovation. With plans to expand these services and refine the technology based on real-world feedback, KT is setting a new standard for what it means to be a modern sports venue. For fans, it means every visit is a little smarter, a little more fun, and a whole lot more memorable. The game goes on, but the way we experience it may never be the same.