Human evolution is all about simplifying things and gaining access to things that make our lives easier to spend more time and resources on what we enjoy. So it’s no wonder that AI has taken over, from text GBT writing a high school students essay to models editing photos rather than going to the gym, but how does AI fit into the human species global passion—sports?
AI is being used extensively to enhance all sports jurisdictions, from the athlete to the fan, the coach to the referee, and even in judging athletic competition. AI’s ability to quickly analyse 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—in other words, AI is a punter’s best friend.
When winning and losing can come down to the smallest margins, AI can play a major role in gaining that extra 1% advantage for an athlete or organisation over their opponent. But providing deeper insights into personal data and effectively tailoring training, recovery, and dietary plans to better each athlete on an individual level.
When we look at AI through a racing lense this is one of the great tools that can be utilised by a trainer. Horses can’t speak, but AI certainly can. Industry leaders such as Ciaron Maher and Annabel Neasham use systems such as ETRAKKA to collect data from their horses during their work to monitor both times, stride lengths, heart rate, and recovery times, which are compared to the conditions in which the horse works and stored on a data sheet where they can refer to and identify any outliers before deciding on a horse’s race programming.
While AI will hopefully assist in the detection and prevention of injury in horses, nothing will ever replace the touch and feel of their handlers and the love the horse feels from human connection. As AI technology continues to evolve, we will continue to rely more on the resources it provides, and its role in shaping the future of sports will continue to further elevate the game.
