The artificial intelligence revolution begins to score big in the world of sports improving player analytics and revenue generation for organizations, and providing a level playing field for app developers, analysts say.
Generative AIin particular, further incentivizes sports organizations to invest in next-generation technology, which should help them expand their reach in a rapidly evolving sector.
The consequences of these investments are also felt on overall economic activity, said Melih Murat, associate research director at the International Data Corporation. The National.
“A strong and globally competitive sports industry will attract new business opportunities, such as the hosting of major sporting events, which in turn will create new revenue opportunities not only for the sports industry, but also for local businesses such as restaurants and hotels.” » said Mr. Murat.
The sports AI market is expected to grow significantly, reaching nearly $21 billion in 2029, up from an estimated $5.93 billion in 2024, at a compound annual rate of nearly 30%, data shows from Mordor Intelligence.
“We will see a desire to reap early benefits from producing AI hardware and software,” said Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economics at Skema Business School in Paris. The National.
“This helps create competitive advantage, which in turn leads to job creation, income generation, export revenue and tax revenue.”
Driving feedback
Several AI applications are already used in industry.
On the German Bundesliga app, AI-driven personalization led to a 17% increase in time spent and an average of 23% more sessions for each user, according to Giovanni Sisinna, director of program management at ISA Digital Consulting in Rome.
“Engagement is a cognitive-behavioral process that requires sport to understand the interplay between motivations, perceptions, attitudes and behaviors,” Mr Chadwick said.
“In seeking to drive engagement, sport is essentially trying to get and keep them; in other words, turning potential consumers into lifelong fans.
“Lifetime fans are a sustainable source of revenue. Try to total up the value of game tickets and merchandise that a typical fan purchases.”
In Formula 1, Amazon Web Services uses 300 sensors on each F1 racing car to generate more than 1.1 million data points per second transmitted from the cars to their pits, showing their performance.
This, in turn, allows F1 teams to perform aerodynamic simulations to develop their next-generation cars, which are up to 70% faster, AWS said in a blog.
“The appeal of AI, which influences the way sports will be organized and covered, will likely lead to more athletes competing at a higher level,” said Jad Haddad, head of digital for India, the Middle East and Africa within the consultancy firm Oliver Wyman. The National.
“And increased fan engagement could boost sports finances and job opportunities.”
Job presentation
AI also helps create job opportunities and support developers who create applications that help improve analytics, engagement, and performance.
The fear of people losing their jobs because of AI may be a bit exaggerated, as the technology is also creating new roles, particularly within sports organisations, Mr Murat said.
“It is fair to say that AI will not eliminate jobs but will create employment opportunities for new skills,” he said.
“Sports organizations should certainly put transformation programs in place to ensure their employees are upskilling or reskilling to exploit these technologies most effectively.”
For developers, the opportunity lies in alternative technologies for tracking statistics and analyzing data, which will likely be more cost-effective than traditional, expensive equipment.
Smartphones, in particular, are already used for this purpose during tennis matches.
“It would be much more precise and would be about a tenth of the cost,” said Swupnil Sahai, co-founder and chief executive of SwingVision. The National.
The Californian start-up uses Apple iPhones on tennis courts to track matches and relay the data it collects to its application on iPhones and Apple Watches.
The National participated in a match using an iPhone and an iPad.
“If you look at the 10-camera system, in addition to those 10 cameras, they have a gigantic server under the court that processes everything,” Mr. Sahai said.
He was referring to Hawk-Eye computer vision technology used in sports such as tennis, football, rugby, volleyball and cricket to track the trajectory of balls.
SwingVision, backed by former US tennis star Andy Roddick, claims the shot speeds it tracks are accurate to within 10% and line calls are 97% accurate for close calls landing within 10% cm of a line.
Hawk-Eye is accurate to within 5mm with a margin of error of 2.2mm.
“Think about how old that is compared to something like everything in one device that tracks where (the ball) is going,” Mr. Sahai said.
The company plans to introduce SwingVision to the Middle East, with Dubai as a possible first stop.
“It would be much more affordable for tournaments and would be fully automated,” Mr Sahai said.
The sports industry is expected to continue to adopt new AI technologies.
But even though there is a speculative boom in early adopter sports AI investments, the market is still young and developing, Mr. Chadwick said.
“Sports will not be able to withstand the advent of AI, as speculative investments suggest, but it remains to be seen precisely how sport will embrace and be shaped by AI.”
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Updated: March 15, 2024, 4:58 a.m.
