AI in Sports 🤖: Smart Cricket Bat 🏏 Smart AI Coach 🏃‍♂️ The Future of Sports 🔮

EDITOR’S NOTE

Dear Reader, the popularity of major sporting events like the IPL T20, Super Bowl, Cricket World Cup, Wimbledon, and Champions League continues to soar, fueling a sports market valued at $506.93 billion in 2024.

AI is uniquely positioned to boost this growth, enhancing engagement, providing in-depth analysis, and delivering real-time insights to everyone involved – players, sponsors, broadcasters, and fans – solidifying its place in the future of sports.

With this backdrop, today, we will explore how AI has impacted the sports industry.

In Today’s Newsletter:

• Spektacom’s Tiny Sensor Tracks Ball Impact on Cricket Bats with Precision

• Game Theory Acquires Matchday.ai to Revolutionize Real Sports Experience

• The AI-Game: How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Sports Landscape

• Latest AI Job Opportunities in India

• Latest AI News from Around the World

TOP NEWS
Cricket's New Bat-tastic Tech: Powering Up with AI

Anil Kumble's Spektacom Technologies, with Microsoft as its Technology Partner, introduces the Power Bat, using lightweight sensors on cricket bats to enhance performance through AI-driven data analytics. The technology measures swing speed, twist, and shot quality in real-time.

Why is it relevant?
In today's data-driven sports environment, Spektacom's innovation marries technology with cricket, transforming every bat into a smart device. This offers players from amateurs to professionals the ability to refine techniques and engage fans with dynamic, real-time game analysis. Read More

TOP NEWS
Your Sports Stats Got Nerdy with Game Theory!

Game Theory, a sports tech firm, has acquired Matchday.ai, a leading sports analytics startup, to strengthen its commitment to innovation in the sports gaming sector and bring AI capabilities to casual real sports.

Why is it relevant?
This acquisition democratizes professional-level sports analytics, making sophisticated tech-led coaching and performance enhancement accessible to amateur athletes, thereby nurturing future sports talents with cutting-edge tools. Read More

NANOBITS RESEARCH
Sports 2.0: The Rise of AI in the World of Sports

The global market size for AI in sports was valued at $2.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to $23.33 billion by 2031, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% from 2024 to 2031.¹

LinkedIn estimates that the global generative AI in the sports market will be worth around $2.3 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.6% from 2023 to 2032.²

In this segment, we will explore the workings of the global sports industry and how AI is shaping it:

The factors that influence the explosive market growth include player performance monitoring, fitness tracking, sports betting, sports predictions, real-time sports data analytics, etc.

Moreover, AI is also revolutionizing several sports businesses by automating repetitive tasks, analyzing data, optimizing operations, and improving customer experience.

From the playing field to the broadcast booth, AI is transforming the world of sports. Through real-time player performance analysis (tracking oxygen levels, heart rate, and more), predicting and preventing injuries, designing customized training, assisting in scouting decisions, automating sports journalism tasks, and enhancing the fan viewing experience with live analytics, AI is having a major impact on every aspect of the game.

Top Tech Companies Pioneering the AI Revolution in Sports:

1. Quidich Innovation Labs uses advanced AI-driven computer vision to enhance cricket broadcasts, providing real-time player tracking and strategic fielding insights, fundamentally changing how viewers experience the game. Read More

2. StanceBeam's bat sensor tracks performance, and their app helps you analyze data, record videos, and benchmark your cricket skills. Read More

3. Str8bat is a cricket bat sensor that uses AI-backed data to help cricketers improve their batting. It is available for ₹6,499 on Amazon.

4. DataLyca's BirdieIns, an AI coach, helps badminton players analyze their performance, providing insights to improve their game, with plans to expand to other racquet sports.

5. Square Off's innovative smart chessboard uses AI to adapt to players' skill levels, enabling global remote play and interactive lights for an enhanced experience.

6. All Design Lab used AI tools like DALL-E to revolutionize the classic tennis racket design. Their concept, named ‘Hìtëkw’, aims for a lighter, stronger, and better-performing racket. AI-generated designs inspired an organic, branch-like structure, potentially boosting performance with its lighter frame and unique shape.

7. FanDuniya (acquired by Dream11) is an AI-driven fantasy sports startup that uses AI models, statistical tools, and news coverage to help players make informed decisions and win contests. Read More

8. Jabbr's DeepStrike detects foul play in boxing, FIFA's AI-aided referees in the 2022 World Cup, and Fujitsu's Judging Support System aided gymnastics judges with AI-powered data analysis.

9. The NFL and AWS developed the Digital Athlete, an AI tool that uses player data and a virtual replica to analyze impacts, suggesting ways to reduce injuries and enhance player safety. Read More

10. ScorePlay uses AI to streamline digital content storage, management, and distribution for sports, featuring athlete recognition, and tagging, and supports FTP, calendar integration, and live broadcasts. Read More

One major risk of AI in sports lies in potential biases within the data used to train algorithms. This could perpetuate unfairness in player evaluations or game outcomes. Additionally, overreliance on AI could diminish the role of human intuition and expertise in strategic decision-making, potentially impacting the essence of the sport.

As the sports fanbase expands and AI technology advances, it's clear that sports and AI will increasingly intersect, influencing industry trends. A notable example is France's recent approval of an AI-powered surveillance bill to ensure safety and security at the 2024 Olympics. Read More 

AI JOB OPPORTUNITIES

• Toast - Manager, Data Science & AI

• GP - Principal Product Manager, AI & ML

• Wipro - AI Developer

• Oracle - Data Engineer - Python

• Merck - Senior Principal Data Engineer

• Netedge Computing - AI Engineer - Intern

Click here to browse more AI jobs in India

LATEST NEWS IN AI

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announces investments in Thailand's digital future, including the first data center, AI upskilling for 100,000 people, and support for developers

OpenAI plans to unveil a search engine, potentially before Google I/O, challenging Google and possibly rendering Perplexity AI obsolete

Google urges the US government to update immigration policies to include AI and cybersecurity roles in Schedule A to address talent shortages in these fields

Airbnb introduces group booking features and "Icons" experiences in its summer release; users can create shared wishlists and invite friends

Rabbit CEO defends the Rabbit R1, emphasizing its unique code and hardware necessity after tech bloggers ran a leaked version on Android