Technologies in today’s world are changing rapidly. The changes are so fast that every day we are getting in touch with new technologies.
Artificial Intelligence is one of the technologies of computer science which is creating new world of technology by making intelligent machines. Artificial Intelligence is a field of computer science which develops machine to work as a human.
There is no limit to the applications of artificial intelligence (AI), they are endless. It has quickly transformed many industries. This technology can be applied to many different sectors and industries and currently scientist and programmers all over the world are researching and working as to how AI can be used efficiently and precisely by humans.
The healthcare industry is testing and using AI for aiding in operating rooms during surgical procedures , for identifying ailments and suggesting follow up treatments for the same including suggesting drug dosages.
All around us we can see examples of AI be it self driving cars or playing music or smartwatches or computers that play chess. The financial industry has gained tremendously from AI. One of its major field , the banking sector has made use of AI to detect and flag activity in banking and finance such as unusual debit card usage and large account deposits—all of which help a bank’s fraud department.
In the sporting industry which makes active use of available statistics and analyzes data for improving the sportsman’s performance , AI has been truly a blessing in disguise. The sports industry is collecting and utilizing data since time immemorial , this one industry which quantifies data and analyzes it , therefore AI in sports has endless use .
The sports has adopted AI head on and likewise AI has shown that how we can revolutionize the sports world using latest technology.AI has become a game-changer in the sports arena. By storing player’s data and enhancing them to completely revolutionizing fan interactions with their favorite player, it has changed our experience and analyses in sports. By checking and analyzing data in very short time and giving reports which can help a single player as well as an organization to grow, AI is shaping the future of sports in unprecedented ways.
Some of the advantages of using AI in sports are being summarized below:
AI has made a significant impact in player performance analysis. The AI algorithms analyze vast amounts of data in short time frame , it uses technologies, such as computer vision and motion tracking. Computer vision can be used to track player movements in real-time, providing accurate data on their speed, position, and technique, it can also tell the chances of injury if any wrong technique is used and then provides convincing and accurate reports to the coaches and the athletes. These reports can help coaches to identify strength and weakness of a player or whole team. By analyzing these reports the coaches can formulate plans for new training sessions , the athlete can overcome his weakness and enhance his performance. AI can help to generate new training sessions and strategies which will enhance athlete’s performance. Additionally, AI analyzes video footage of the games played to detect patterns and trends hence helping the coaches to make decisions regarding game plan and strategy. AI-powered wearable devices, such as smart jerseys or smart watches or equipment with inbuilt sensors , can help in collecting and analyzing vast amounts of data during training sessions and matches. This data can provide valuable insights into an athlete’s performance, helping coaches and trainers identify areas for improvement and optimize training programs. This information is valuable for both training and tactical decision-making during games.
One of the sports which is making real time use of AI and enhancing its player’s performance is FOOTBALL. The world is crazy about the football which is popularly known as soccer. Using AI the coaches and the team can analyze thousands of hours of video footage to identify opponent strength and weaknesses thus enabling teams to come with good strategies against their opponents. By using smart jerseys coaches can further analyze weak areas of a player and can work on enhancing the ability of the player to perform better and minimize his chances of injury.
In basketball, AI algorithms can track player movements and provide real-time feedback on shooting techniques or defensive positioning. In athletic sports like AI can be used to detect moments of various muscles and can tell chance of injury.
AI can be used to monitor games like football, cricket, basket etc, which is very beneficial as all big decisions that change the outcomes of games would be judged more accurately, the margin for error would be a lot slimmer and controversies will reduce drastically because of fair game play monitoring. In case of sports like tennis and badminton AI can be used to judge the game and can reduce number of human mistakes.
Sports and health go hand in hand. The performance of athletes greatly depends on their health and fitness. AI has transformed the healthcare industry . Healthcare is one filed which is using AI aggressively. The extraordinary diagnostic and predictive abilities of AI can be applied in the critical area of fitness and physical health in sports. The only way sportspeople can compete is if they are healthy and physically fit.
AI is used to analyze player movement and some health parameters to evaluate their fitness level and detect potential stress-induced injuries or signs of fatigue early. This will help the medical teams maintain a high level of player fitness and make them less injury-prone.
Artificial intelligence is not only transforming how athletes perform but also how fans engage with sports. AI-powered chat bots and virtual assistants have revolutionized customer support, enabling fans to access information, purchase tickets, or get updates on their favorite teams effortlessly. AI can catch up on trending topics through social media can help a lot in fan interactions with player.
AI’s potential in sports world is limitless, it can help in each and every sector of sports but there is one specific area where at this moment AI can many players career.
As of now if a player got injured and if the injury is fatal it can end a players career. Many young player has seen their career go down because of an injury. To prevent this we can use AI to prevent injuries. By analyzing biomechanical data, AI algorithms can identify early signs of potential injuries, allowing teams to take proactive measures and minimize downtime for players. AI using wearable devices can be used to monitor things like heart rate, SPO2, which can provide real time feedback of player and can provide better injury detection and management. This technology can help prolong careers and safeguard the long-term health of athletes.
Every technology comes with both advantages and disadvantages.
We have discussed the advantages as above and its unfair if we do not mention its disadvantages of AI in sports. A few disadvantages which I can think of are :
The cost of using AI in sports is very high . The cost to run AI in sports management areas is very expensive. Moreover, there is improvement in AI on regular basis this makes the constant need to update the software and upgrade the hardware of AI on regular basis. Apart from this AI machine also requires regular maintenance and repair which also leads to increase its cost.
Further on of the main disadvantage of using AI in any field is that it leads to unemployment or loss of jobs. The hot topic of discussion these days is how AI is leading to reduction of jobs and this creating unemployment in general. Jobs in sports is also not untouched by this. Extensive use of AI leads to automation of manual jobs that would have otherwise required human efforts, thus making humans unnecessary for the jobs.
There can be endless discussions of advantages and disadvantages of AI in sports . No doubt as discussed above advantages of AI in sports outweighs the its disadvantages. Its depends on the sports world how to maximize the pros and minimize the cons of AI for the benefit of the sports and its fans and also of the people associated with it.
Author – Hardik Anand
Ann Mary School
