Overview
When the 15th National Games of China (Nov 9–21, 2025) opened across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, the event carried a clear ambition: showcase the future of sports through artificial intelligence and next-generation technologies. Among more than 130 advanced tech deployments, one experience quickly stood out—not on the field, but among the crowds.
Akool’s AI Photo Booth became one of the most talked-about attractions of the Games, allowing everyday attendees to instantly transform themselves into professional athletes. Within seconds, spectators could see themselves wearing national team uniforms, competing in their favorite sports, and sharing the moment with friends and family—blending entertainment, identity, and cutting-edge AI into a single experience.
The Challenge
Large-scale sporting events attract millions of spectators, yet participation often remains passive. Organizers wanted to change that dynamic by:
- Increasing on-site audience engagement
- Delivering memorable, personalized fan experiences
- Demonstrating China’s leadership in AI innovation at national scale
To achieve this, they needed a solution that was:
- Instantly usable by visitors of all ages
- Capable of real-time, high-volume processing
- Reliable across multiple high-traffic venues
The Solution: Akool AI Photo Booth
Akool deployed AI Photo Booths across six major competition venues, enabling thousands of attendees each day to create personalized “athlete transformation” images in real time.
Instant Athlete Transformation
Visitors selected a sports template, took a photo, scanned a QR code, and received a professional-quality transformation image within seconds—no downloads, no instructions, no waiting.
High-Precision Identity Fusion
Powered by advanced diffusion models and facial-fusion technology, the system:
- Preserved each user’s identity with high accuracy
- Automatically adjusted lighting, pose, and textures
- Generated seamless composites even across complex facial differences
The result: images that looked not like filters—but like real professional athlete portraits.
Seamless Self-Service at Scale
The booth’s intuitive workflow enabled continuous operation under heavy traffic, supporting thousands of daily interactions without slowing down.
As one attendee remarked:
“I scanned the QR code and instantly received a photo that looked incredibly real. It felt like I was actually part of the competition.”
Impact
A Must-Visit Attraction
The AI Photo Booth quickly became one of the busiest experiential installations at the Games, drawing long queues and producing thousands of personalized souvenir photos each day.
Turning Fans into Participants
Instead of watching from the stands, spectators could virtually step onto the field—creating a powerful emotional connection between fans and the athletes they admired.
Showcasing AI at National Scale
The deployment demonstrated how real-time generative AI can operate reliably in large, high-traffic public environments, reinforcing the Games’ vision of technology-driven innovation.
Proven Large-Scale Deployment Capability
The project validated Akool’s ability to deliver high-throughput, real-time generation systems at national-scale events—an essential capability for global brands, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
Why Akool
Akool’s National Games success builds on a global portfolio of immersive AI experiences, including:
- Coca-Cola interactive campaign activations
- Qatar Airways virtual travel experiences
- Canon personalized AI imaging programs
Across industries, the mission remains the same: transform passive audiences into active participants through real-time generative experiences.
Conclusion
At the 15th National Games, Akool did more than deploy a photo booth—it reshaped how audiences engage with live sporting events. By merging sports, identity, and AI creativity, the experience turned spectators into athletes, moments into memories, and technology into emotion.
As global events continue to seek deeper fan engagement, Akool is redefining what interactive experiences can look like—bringing scalable, real-time generative creativity to audiences around the world.
