Hollerings | Digital & IT

AI: Changing the face of Sport

It’s July and that means one thing in sport… Wimbledon and The British Open. Most recently Artificial Intelligence has been changing two of our favourite summer sports, Tennis and Golf.

Tennis and Artificial Intelligence

Wimbledon has paved the way for using Artificial Intelligence. Players are able to analyse each match and their technique after each game whilst spectators can watch more highlights. As the AI tracks the game, it highlights points of interest for all parties.

Technology has in fact been included in sport for a while with famous faces such as Judy Murray using technology since 2003.

As Artificial Intelligence plays a larger part in Tennis there are some major areas which are most affected:

Audiences

The way we watch Wimbledon is ever evolving, there is now a larger demand to stream matches on demand rather than tune into the tv at a specific time. As our generation demands a new form of tennis, there is also an increased commercial aspect as the sport has to compete with previously undiscovered sports.

Sport Entertainment

As sport becomes increasingly commericialised sports organisations are using technology to their advantage. Previously business to business interactions are transitioning towards a direct interaction between fans and sports tournaments. The experience of being inside each court feels real for fans through digital platforms.

Data

Artificial Intelligence is allowing each and every player to become their very best. With in depth analysis of their technique, body, psychology and more. The margin between winning and losing a game can become minimal.

Ownership

As with all data there is a clear owner and regulations about its uses. During a competitive match however, it can be either the analytics companies or tournament organisers who own the data produced. For many competitive players this can cause an issue.

The Future

The relationship between tennis and artificial intelligence, although advanced, has much further to go. Many people believe that the use of AI must be carefully regulated to ensure that only the richer players can access certain technology.

For more information on each of these sections from industry experts click here.

Golf and Artificial Intelligence

Equipment

The use of artificial intelligence in golf is most promising for equipment development. American golf company Callaway Golf have been at the forefront of using AI to design optimised clubs. 

Using machine learning and a supercomputer, the company where able to design a driver that can increase the speed and distance of a golf ball. In order to perfectly create the new club, the designers had to run thousands of cycles, each time allowing the artificial intelligence to learn from the previous cycle.

To learn more about the Flash Face golf clubs, click here.

Swing Skills

As with tennis, the introduction of AI into golf has been incredibly lucrative on a commercial basis. Products such as Swing AI allow players of levels to utilise artificial intelligence to improve their skills.

You can see how the technology works on recognisable swings such as Patrick Reed, here.

Written by: Rosie Bancroft

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