The President of the International Olympics Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, while unveiling the Olympic AI Agenda in London on Friday, said that Artificial intelligence can help identify talented athletes “in every corner of the world”.
He said this at the Olympic Park, which hosted the 2012 Games.
According to Bach, the Olympic movement needs to lead change as the global AI revolution gathers pace.
“Today we are making another step to ensure the uniqueness of the Olympic Games and the relevance of sport, and to do this, we have to be leaders of change, and not the object of change,” Bach said.
As the Paris Olympics begins in less than 100 days, Bach emphasized that “unlike other sectors of society, we in sport are not confronted with the existential question of whether AI will replace human beings”.
“In sport, the performances will always have to be delivered by the athletes.
“The 100 metres will always have to be run by an athlete (a human being).
“Therefore, we can concentrate on the potential of AI to support the athletes.
“AI can help to identify athletes and talent in every corner of the world. AI can provide more athletes with access to personalised training methods, superior sports equipment and more individualised programmes to stay fit and healthy.” He said.
However, when asked about the negatives, Bach keenly noted the existence and importance of free choice in sport.
The Olympic AI Agenda comes from the IOC AI working group, which consists of high-level global experts including AI pioneers and athletes, established last year.