Reports have suggested that the use of AI in sport is on the increase. This has been solidified in a recent survey pooling experts and operators across the industry.
For the average person, AI is invisible. Apart from ChatGPT and social media generative content, the actual impact is yet to be felt. Yet behind the scenes, AI is transforming every aspect of our lives, including sport. Recent studies have suggested its use may be on the increase in the near future.
How Many Sports Are Using AI?
The study comes from a report by SportsPro and Sportradar. It surveyed 160 senior executives across different geographic regions. The results were that “98 per cent of organizations plan to increase their use of AI in the next 12 months, while 72 per cent see AI as the technology with the greatest potential for their organization in the next five years”. Three-quarters of those who had already deployed AI said that they would increase their investment within the next 12 months.
Not all of this was positive, though. In the first survey, around two-thirds of respondents said they believed they needed more industry-specific advances to be developed. While those surveyed were from leagues, broadcasters, teams and venue operators, it did not specify if they meant sector-specific or sport-specific.
How Is AI Being Used in Sport?
Sport is being used in many different ways. This year’s Winter Olympics used AI to judge figure skaters. It worked alongside human judges, who may have often missed certain movements and executions due to the speed at which they take part.
Even in the world of wagering, AI is making its way into betting to help punters make more informed choices. A host of sites have risen to the fore that use AI to predict the results of games, based on historical and statistical analysis. These can be broken down into free or subscription tools. Serving a wide range of markets from football to basketball, they may just be the next step in the gambling industry. However, the user must still be careful to take into account the human idea of sport, which is often very overlooked.
Thus, AI is being used in sports, and it will be used even more in the near future. You may not see it, or even feel the impact, but it is there. How this will transform sport is yet to be seen, but it can only make for a fairer, more balanced game.