- The AI Plug
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- #4 AI refs calling the shots
Think of a sport, any sport.
Whichever one came to mind, we bet there’s an example of some bullsh*t call.
But that’s part and parcel of sport..right?
We know people cheat and referees make mistakes.
What we’re wondering is:
What’s sport going to look like once we’ve (inevitably) taken officiating out of human hands, and placed these decisions on the shoulders of totally non-bias, fault-proof AI algorithms?
As far as we can tell, it’ll be a lot less entertaining…
In today’s newsletter:
Fair call: AI to eliminate cheating and bad calls in sports
The rundown: AI DJs in your pocket, how we handle artificial general intelligence, bringing history back to life
Tips, tricks & tools: Knock hours off your workday
What’s your opinion?: Do you think AI will make your sport fairer?
AI toys: 250% faster walking with $1400 AI-powered electric shoes
AI TO ELIMINATE BAD CALLS IN SPORTS ⚽
We no longer see any of these shenanigans
More than entertainment, for many people, sport is a religion.
It’s an escape from our day-to-day, something to look forward to. It’s also a global industry worth over $510 billion.
But for all of sports’ importance in our lives, the outcome of too many events have been wrongly influenced by poor officiating, amongst the more notable of which include:
The major penalty mistake in the NHL’s Sharks-Golden Knights 2019 Western Conference series
The NFL Saint-Rams 2019 no-call which cost The Saints a Superbowl appearance
Jordan’s push-off to win the Bulls their 6th NBA title in 1998
Pimbletts unanimous decision over Gordon in “one of the worst decisions in UFC history”
No matter which sport or controversy you choose, all bad calls come down to human bias or error.
Refs and judges adjudicate according to the rules of the sport to the best of their ability.
They’re still human though. They’ll inevitably look away at the wrong time or succumb to bias - because we’re humans doing human things, and humans make errors.
So why do we leave these decisions to flawed human adjudicators?
Until recently, because that’s the only way we’ve known.
As Info-Tech Research Group demonstrates, using AI in sports can and will improve the integrity and fairness of the industry.
In fact, most top sports already use AI software to improve performance, and some are starting to use AI-assisted officiating:
SportVU tracks the movements of a basketball player during match play to improve their game and tactics
TrackMan analyzes baseball batsman’s size and creates a strike zone based on their height, helping umpires solve missed ball-strike calls
Toshiba’s rugby AI video analysis tool breaks down each players positioning and movement, improving tactical training
Hawkeye has replaced line judges in many tennis tournaments, and can not be overridden by the umpire
These softwares demonstrate that AI-assisted adjudicating reliably reduces the number of incorrect outcomes in major sporting events.
Indeed, with so much riding on the modern sporting industry, it’s hard to deny the benefits of an impartial, infallible third-party AI adjudicator.
But at the same time, the disagreement and conflict between player, official and spectator are what makes sport so engaging.
It’s what causes all the fuss, the discussion, and the hype.
So while we strive for perfection, and as we move towards “the perfect judge”, it’s important we keep in mind:
That the more we strive to eliminate human error - the less human we all become.
THE RUNDOWN 🐂
Spotify launches a personalized AI DJ for premium users in the U.S. and Canada. Generates real-time suggestions and playlists according to user preferences and listening patterns. (link)
OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, explain how they plan to handle artificial general intelligence (AGI). AGI presents incredible capabilities but also serious risks - here OpenAI explains the caution with which they are deploying their models. (link)
AI is revealing our history in vivid, wonderful detail by bringing ancient sculptures and artwork to life. (link)
The hunt for profit begins for generative AI software companies. The winners will be those who own the underlying AI models. (link)
Map of ChatGPT users in the US looks like a population map - suggesting pretty much everyone is using it. (link)
TIPS, TRICKS & TOOLS ⚒️
beautiful. ai helps your team stay on brand, optimize your presentation design and collaborate remotely - all in a matter of minutes. (link)
beta.tome. app helps you tell your stories to the best of your ability. Use your unique prompt to generate entire narratives from scratch. (link)
brancher. ai helps build your own AI app - without code! (link)
bedtimesotry. ai creates on-the-spot, bespoke bedtime stories for your family. (link)
leonardo. ai you’ve heard of Midjourney - now try Leonardo. Truly revolutionary AI art. (link)
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? 🤔
Refs or bots? What do you think?
Given the principal discussion in today’s newsletter - what’s your opinion?
Do you think we should use AI in sport officiating?
250% FASTER WALKING WITH $1400 AI-POWERED ELECTRIC SHOES
Shift Robotics Moonwalkers help you walk 250% faster than “regular” sneakers.
Control-less, these electric AI-powred shoes determine how fast the wearer wants to go depending on step speed and adjusts wheel speed accordingly.
Touted as “the first-ever mobility device that allows you to walk at the speed of a run”, these $1400 sneakers might just be the solution to car emissions, traffic congestion, and tardiness at work.