Artificial Intelligence in Sport

Artificial intelligence has been a highly debated topic for several years now, and its influence continues to grow across many fields.

Together with my colleague Nicolas Chanavat, I had the opportunity to attend the conference “Olympic Values & Artificial Intelligence”, where experts from multiple continents discussed the challenges that AI brings to society in general, and to sport in particular.

Below is my personal perspective, based on my own experience and observations regarding the use of artificial intelligence—both in everyday life and within the sports industry.

What I Fully Agree With

I strongly agree that:

• AI can train us efficiently to solve problems and help us improve our skills;

• AI can significantly increase productivity, especially for tasks that we have tested and already know it can perform well.However, this also means we must continue learning, because AI may not always deliver the results we expect when applied to a new or unfamiliar task.

Key Challenges That Still Remain

At the same time, several important issues deserve attention:

• Lack of accountability:Are we shifting responsibility for decision-making to AI, and then blaming it when something goes wrong? It is almost as if we allow AI to lead us, and then later claim it has “taken our place.” But did it truly take our place—or did we give it permission to do so?

• Too much data: How do we filter the massive amount of information available? Who filters it? Who decides what is relevant and what is not? How much time does this process take, and to what extent does it overload our brains?For example, a single post-match instant report can exceed 100 pages, and a travelling sports fan may receive dozens of pages of information in a single day.

• Speed of decision-making in real game situations: Can AI truly respond faster than the human mind in every context, especially during fast-paced moments in competition?

• Dependence on AI tools:To what extent would professionals who rely on AI solutions still perform well without them?This connects to the accountability issue: if we use human resources with limited domain knowledge, we risk delegating responsibility to AI—and later claiming that it replaced us.

• Understanding the athlete’s internal world:How can AI measure what is happening inside an athlete—thoughts, fears, sensations, emotional pressure, or mental fatigue?

• Information grows fast, but so does misinformation:As AI-generated content becomes more common, fake news spreads just as quickly. How long does it take us to distinguish between real information and artificial or manipulated information?

The Human Role Will Always Matter

One important idea remains essential: humans will always be needed.

People program AI—not the other way around. But in order to do that, people must be prepared and trained. In my opinion, one of the biggest problems is the mindset many of us still have:

"Oh no, I have to learn again. I’m tired of learning."

But the reality is clear: education is no longer optional.

The educational process and decision-making process must accelerate in every field. We need to learn faster, make decisions faster, and take responsibility for those decisions. The more time we lose, the greater the gap will become between human skills and AI capabilities.

Refusing AI Is Like Refusing the Washing Machine

Refusing to use artificial intelligence is like refusing to wash your clothes in a washing machine simply because you are used to washing and wringing them by hand.

So the real question is:

To what extent are we afraid of what is new—and to what extent are we truly afraid of artificial intelligence?

From my perspective, those who fear change often fear AI as well, because AI inevitably requires major adaptation. The human brain prefers routine and familiarity. But whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence will be part of our lives.

That is why it is better to adapt.

And today, education matters more than ever.