On April 19, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched its Olympic AI Agenda, what it describes as a ground-breaking initiative:
“It sets out the envisioned impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can deliver for sport and how the IOC, as the leader of the Olympic Movement, intends to lead on the global implementation of AI within sport. It establishes the IOC’s ambition and guiding principles, identifies high-impact areas for AI application, and explores the framework and governance mechanisms needed to mitigate risk and promote the responsible use of AI,” said the IOC.
At the AIPS Centenary Congress in Santa Susanna, Spain, top sports officials and presidents will take part in a panel discussion on “the future of sport and the impact of AI”. This is one of three packed panel sessions scheduled for Monday, April 29.
ATHLETES PERFORM
In his speech at the launch of the AI Agenda in London, the IOC President stressed that those in sports are not confronted with the question of whether AI will replace human beings because the athletes will always be the ones to deliver the performances.
“The 100 metres will always have to be run by an athlete – a human being. Therefore, we can concentrate on the potential of AI to support the athletes,” Bach explained.
BENEFITS OF AI
The IOC said AI could be used to help identify promising athletes in every corner of the world, provide personalised training methods for athletes and revolutionise judging and refereeing, thereby strengthening fairness in sport.
The AI agenda is also geared towards improving safeguarding in sport, transforming spectator experience and helping broadcasters improve the viewing experience for people watching from home.
AI AGAINST ONLINE ABUSE
During the FIFA World Cup Doha 2022, the use of AI grabbed headlines, especially with the introduction of the semi-automated offside technology which applied artificial intelligence to provide an automated offside alert to the video match officials inside the video operation room.
Then at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, FIFA used an AI software to protect participants from online abuse, keeping their social feeds free from hate and allowing them to concentrate on their performance.
MARKET VALUE
According to Allied Market Research, the global artificial intelligence in sports market, which was valued at $1.4 billion in 2020, is projected to reach $19.2 billion by 2030 and it seems inevitable that sports and AI will continue to intertwine for years to come.
Credit: AIPS Media
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