How AI Is Revolutionizing Professional Sports

In much the same way as 3-D motion graphics, high speed photography, and even holograms have made their way into modern sport, so too the use of AI is becoming an increasing fixture in sports. AI is being put to greater use to enhance all areas of sports from the athlete to the fan, the coach to the referee, and even in judging athletic competition. AI’s ability to quickly analyze large amounts of data, spot patterns and outliers in that data, and make real-time predictions is showing its value in helping to drive advancements in sports at all levels.

Enhancing the Athlete

When it comes to the world of competitive sports, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to the smallest of margins. Indeed, every second matters. From analyzing and enhancing performance through detailed analytics, AI is providing highly personalized training plans, and analyzing movements and opponents in real-time. AI-driven innovations and insights are transforming athletic competition, changing and improving the way athletes train, perform, and recover.

AI is able to provide athletes and coaches with deeper insights on both individual performance as well as team and opponent performances. AI can analyze each player’s performance on a variety of different factors such as speed, gait patterns, and endurance. Coaches and players can use this information to make tailored suggestions for improvement. AI can also create a hyperpersonalized training plan for each individual athlete helping prevent injury and enhance nutrition.

AI systems are also providing game strategy recommendations. Through the analysis of game footage and performance metrics, AI can identify patterns and trends that may not be viewable by the human eye and provide recommendations for best approaches to beat the opponent. AI can also evaluate game playing in real time. Acting as an augmented intelligence tool, AI helps coaches and players make strategic decisions and adjustments to play and strategy during the game.

Sports referees and judges are also taking advantage of AI. The technology is allowing referees to make better calls on the field. And, it’s allowing for more accurate and fair scores from judges. In one example, world gymnastics groups are applying AI technology to help with judging and scoring. The AI-assisted Judging Support System (JSS), developed by Fujitsu in collaboration with the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), uses high-definition cameras to capture and analyze the movements of gymnasts in 3D. This impartial system helps provide the human judges with precise scoring insights. The technology is able to track the gymnast’s every movement during the entire performance and then compare these movements to a vast database of recognized gymnastic elements. In real time the system automatically generates a score just like a human judge would based on the same criteria of both difficulty and execution. The introduction of AI in gymnastics judging is helping reduce human error, provide more consistency in evaluations, and help eliminate human emotions in scoring.

Fan Engagement Enhanced with AI

In addition to helping athletes, coaches, and referees, AI is having a positive impact on fans and their engagement with teams. AI-enhanced experiences now allow fans to immerse themselves in the game like never before really hyperpersonalizing the fan’s experience. AI-driven platforms are able to analyze fan behavior and specific preferences to deliver personalized content and recommendations. This not only makes the fan experience more tailored, but also more enjoyable. AI can suggest highlights, articles, or merchandise based on a fan’s previous interactions, ensuring they stay engaged with the sport even off the field.

AI is also being deployed to provide enhanced experiences for how sports are shown to fans. For example, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Olympic Broadcasting Services used AI to improve internal workflows, enhance the viewer experience, enrich storytelling and better explain certain sports events. The Olympic games also provided fans with AI-powered automatic highlights generation. The AI technology automatically compiled and customized highlight reels from 14 different sports based on the preferences of Media Rights-Holders. This experience was meant to engage audiences more effectively across digital and social media platforms.

AI-powered chatbots and LLMs continue to improve fan interaction with professional sports teams. AI bots are able to provide instant responses to queries, allowing for engagement at any time the fan wants to interact. It also provides for seamless communication with teams and sports brands. These AI-driven tools are proving valuable handling a wide range of tasks such as answering frequently asked questions, providing real-time updates on games and events, answering questions related to ticket sales and venue questions, and creating a more tailored fan experience.

Professional sports is a big business and AI is able to have a positive impact on the entire process. From enhancing performance analytics for athletics, preventing injuries, as well as allowing coaches to tailor plans in real-time, AI is already seeing an impact on the way the games are played. Additionally, fan engagement is a crucial area of the sports experience and AI is allowing for personalized fan experiences creating more engaged fans. As AI technology continues to evolve, its role in shaping the future of sports will continue to further elevate the game.