Slowly, but surely Artificial intelligence has made its way to sports. What’s the latest sports venue? Where will the World Cup be held this year? Google We will partner with the champions Argentina in order to promote their products. Gemini On and off the field
Gemini is now the official global sponsor of Argentina’s national football team, thanks to an agreement Gemini has signed with the Argentine Football Association. Google Gemini will sponsor the Albiceleste and its training kit. The AI tool will also be used for analysis of team statistics, plays, performances, and form.
“It’s not just about opening the door [to] AI,” Flor Sabatini is the spokesperson for Google. “but about understanding its real limits while improving experience.”
Players and coaches will be able to use AI models during the World Cup to analyze plays and opponent statistics, and in theory shorten the amount of time that it takes to put this analysis into practice on the field. Google is not saying what tools Argentina will employ, but it’s clear that the World Cup will serve as a test of Google AI under the pressure of the professional soccer world.
It is also more realistic and ambitious for fans. Google’s Search Engine will now act as a fan by providing AI-generated responses to real-time questions, analyses of key matches and statistics. The new Google search engine will allow users to make songs, cartoons, memes, etc. to stimulate social media interactions during and after matches.
Google announced its contract with Argentina only in May, after it had closed the agreement in March. This was to give them time to begin negotiations with other clubs. Although Google has put the media focus on Argentina—likely because of the high-profile of players like Lionel Messi—the company has also closed deals with Brazil and France, two other teams that have lifted the World Cup.
Sabatini claims that for Google the World Cup represents the biggest cultural event in the calendar year. “The passion that the Argentine national team arouses transcends Argentines. It is a shared emotion,” “She emphasizes. According to the AFA, this agreement injects modernity in an institution, which like most soccer teams is trying to balance tradition with the desire for monetization.
It is risky. AI in World Cup venues means that it will be exposed to millions of queries at once, different cultural contexts and the volatility of match results. Gemini’s error can be seen globally if it creates an incorrect lineup or invents statistics.
World Cups, as a tradition, are events that shape culture and accelerate adoption of new technology. This includes everything from color televisions to GPS tracking of players’ training sessions or the use video assistant referees (VARs) to settle disputes about calls made on the pitch. Now, it’s AI.
It’s all about scale. The name of an AI has never been placed on the chests of athletes and millions of fans’ smartphones before.
The original version of this story appeared originally on WIRED en Español This has been translated into Spanish.
