The data revolution started long ago, and AI is bringing more possibilities to use, interpret and profit from data. Here are some of the industries that have been most impacted by AI.
Tennis and Other Sports
Having lagged behind other sports at the start of the data revolution, tennis is now catching up.
The men’s ATP tour’s own Infosys system gathers a vast quantity of data on everything from the number of shots in a rally, the types of shot (ground strokes, overheads, passing shots, etc), how the points won are divided across different rally lengths, as well as tracking the trajectory and height of every shot.
If you want to know whether Novak Djokovic’s serve bounced at 3.9 feet or 4.1 feet, you can. You can track the speed, see whether it was an ace, and see all these shots from a variety of angles.
AI helps the ATP to combine a combination of camera angles and collect these types of data for hundreds of matches every year.
Fans are growing accustomed to seeing this data presented live on TV, with commentators adding data analysis to their list of skills.
Caroline Flaissier of the French Tennis Federation, says, “Fans always want more – more data. They want to better understand the game.”
Football, cricket and rugby, along with a host of other sports, have also been implementing data for years.
While all this data is being collected, sports lovers have access to a wide range of betting markets, including in-game opportunities.
To meet the demands of data-hungry better, bookmakers are using sports betting data providers to inform their odds. Betting companies want to stand out in a competitive industry, and algorithms and AI are helping them to analyse data and make predictions.
Education
John Jorgenson, Forbes Councils Member, has written about how “AI will transform learning”.
While noting that the debate around “teaching to test” will continue, Jorgenson highlighted the AI’s potential in offering insights as to why a student gets something right or wrong. “Being able to identify the specific skills that students are struggling with will help educators gain clarity into students’ struggles and deliver even more personalized instruction.”
Teachers want information that enables them to help students improve, and organisations are working on tools that recognise students’ writing patterns and help develop language skills.
AI speech recognition will be able to “give immediate feedback to students based on millions of past recordings” from years of data.
Learners are using AI to better understand research papers, help with citing and referencing, and improve their writing.
Film and television
in 2023, Hollywood was in the headlines because of a landmark writers’ and actors’ strike, with major film productions halted for more than half the year while Sag-Aftra and the Writers Guild of America negotiated with production companies.
The protests weren’t just concerned with fair wages and the sharing of profits from streaming – although those concerns were top of the billing card. In addition, many of the industry’s creatives (from actors to writers) were concerned about the future use of AI to replace original and unique human thought, skill, and dedication. Some reports suggest that, already, the technology to scan actors’ faces once and use their likeness to create entire movies – maybe even franchises – is in the works.
While lesser-known and fringe actors were most at risk, some of Hollywood’s most famous stars including Scarlett Johansson and Ben Affleck lent their voice to the cause.
Eventually, after a 118-day strike, an agreement was reached. AMPTP confirmed that no actor’s likeness would be used without their prior consent, and background performers would also require consent.
Away from actors’ likenesses, AI has long been influencing film creation with visual effects and computer graphics. AI is enhancing existing technologies which will allow more realistic and detailed special effects.
Sound design is another area in which AI is having an impact. With algorithms generating and modulating sounds, sonic analysts have more information and tools to work with.
The Future
AI will continue to impact an array of industries, and as experience and understanding grows, its influence is likely to continue to grow.
