“Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks.”

-Stephen Hawking, Theoretical Physicist, Cosmologist, and Author

AI or artificial intelligence has consumed a lot of our time this year (well, at least mine).  I’ve done some interesting things leveraging ChatGPT for some work projects but mostly for fun. There are so many questions that need to be answered before we fully-embrace its potential in our everyday lives. The allure of AI is tempered by the unknown and fear of what this technology could unleash.  From governments utilizing it for both good and bad to the medical field being able to identify illnesses and diseases before doctors is both frightening and encouraging all in the same breath,

I recently read a terrific piece posted by Amir Raveh summarizing OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman vision for the “Intelligence Age”.  Altman, one of the central and leading voices and advocates for AI has been very clear that AI is no longer a futuristic concept. AI is here and continues to grow and accel at an exponential rate like we’ve never seen before.

Amir outlines in the piece the various ways that AI is already impacting the sports ecosystem.

From dynamic pricing models which consider demand, weather, and team performance, teams like the Atlanta Hawks and San Francisco Giants are leveraging AI to drive their dynamic ticket pricing which in turn allow those teams to drive results during unpredictable times. In addition, leagues like la Liga have been embracing AI to deliver real-time highlights and social media content, and in many cases personalized, to keep their worldwide fans engaged 24/7. Another area where AI is currently being utilized in sports is injury prevention and training where clubs are engaging with companies like BeOne Sports and Respo Vision to analyze player data to predict and prevent injury while many companies are leveraging wearable technology to develop personalized training programs for athletes (professional and amateur, even kids).

The bottom line is that AI is a one-in-a-lifetime and game-changing moment which will have a significant impact on all aspects of our everyday life.  I just hope us humans don’t screw it up.

Relevant links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn0XpTAD_8Q

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathleenwalch/2024/08/16/how-ai-is-revolutionizing-professional-sports/

https://www.technologyreview.com/2015/02/11/169210/our-fear-of-artificial-intelligence/