The confluence of expertise in such a human-centric event may seem to be a wierd juxtaposition. However, expertise has allowed athletes and the organisers of the occasion not solely to resolve a number of ache factors but additionally to raise the expertise for everybody concerned. Let us take a better have a look at how expertise is shaping this yr’s summer time Olympics.
Paris Olympics 2024 and the Rise of AI
Ever since OpenAI launched generative synthetic intelligence (AI) within the type of ChatGPT, many have voiced their considerations over this expertise which has the potential to grow to be smarter than people within the not-so-distant future. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has embraced it.
Shooting occasion at Olympics
Photo Credit: Olympics
“The IOC will use AI on the Olympic Games Paris 2024, in numerous areas. A vital one is safeguarding from cyber abuse, since we count on about half a billion social media posts throughout these Games. AI will even be used to create highlights movies in a number of codecs and languages throughout these Games. We are additionally utilizing AI to make the Olympic Games extra sustainable, by way of a really refined first-ever information seize and power administration system. AI can also be opening up new methods for expertise identification, and this challenge will probably be launched by us globally in 2025 to dwell as much as the dedication we made that AI in sport should be accessible to everyone,” mentioned Thomas Bach, IOC President, in a press launch.
Months earlier than the Olympics in 2024, the IOC ready an AI agenda supported by corporations closely invested in AI, resembling Alibaba, Deloitte, Intel, and Omega. The following are a couple of methods AI is taking part in a key function within the occasions.
Protecting Athletes From Abuse
Participating athletes can usually be topic to brutal on-line abuse due to one dangerous efficiency. With the satisfaction of countries on the road, faceless Internet trolls can usually direct their frustrations in direction of these athletes in essentially the most insensitive and probably dangerous methods. To defend athletes from abuse, this yr, the IOC makes use of AI to observe lots of of 1000’s of social media accounts and flag abusive messages for intervention by mentioned platforms.
Tennis match between Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy
Photo Credit: Olympics
The outcome? The social media platforms will promptly delete all such messages earlier than the athletes can see them.
AI Chatbot to Answer Athletes’ Queries
With greater than 10,000 athletes assembling on the worldwide sporting occasion, many are anticipated to reach with a plethora of questions starting from “How do I attain my sporting venue?” to “Am I allowed to livestream my recreation?”. Usually, the athletes can be making numerous journeys to their coaches, occasion coordinators, and reception space to seek out the solutions, shedding precious time that may very well be spent in coaching and resting.
Manu Bhaker wins a medal at Olympics 2024
Photo Credit: Olympics
But not this yr. Ilario Corna, Chief Technology Officer at IOC, has revealed that the Athlete365 platform can have a brand new AI chatbot, in partnership with Intel, designed to reply all of the steadily requested questions (FAQs) the athletes might need.
AI-Powered Sustainability Drive
The IOC can also be involved in regards to the power consumption of the Olympics. To organise an occasion of this scale, the ability required to run each piece of equipment can skyrocket. While a few of it’s unavoidable, there may be a number of potential for wastage and areas the place effectivity could be applied.
Novak Djokovic at Paris Olympics
Photo Credit: Olympics
This yr, the IOC is utilizing AI purposes to observe power consumption in Paris in actual time. AI will seize and analyse information from throughout all of the venues so the organisers can plan higher the following yr. For this, digital twins of the venues are being created to simulate the place the cameras will probably be positioned, the place the ability supply will probably be stored, and if any further gear must be stored.
AI in Broadcasting Improvement
Another space the place AI will play a pivotal function is broadcasting providers. The expertise will enhance inside workflows, enhance the viewer expertise, and create drama and pleasure within the storytelling of various sports activities occasions.
Fencing at Paris Olympics
Photo Credit: Olympics
“This consists of collaborating with Worldwide Olympic Partner Alibaba to supply a document variety of multi-camera replay methods with AI-powered, high-quality reconstruction within the cloud to create three-dimensional fashions and map further viewpoints throughout 21 sports activities and disciplines. This will ship extra compelling replays from extra digicam angles,” mentioned Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS).
One fascinating use case of this will probably be utilizing clever stroboscopic evaluation. Across numerous athletics and gymnastic occasions, this AI-powered expertise will assist the viewers perceive the biomechanics and sophisticated actions of the athletes. AI will even be utilized in motion-tracking expertise and to generate information graphs.
AI in Performance Tracking and Training
When AI can help in producing data-rich evaluation throughout the occasion, it could have been a waste if the identical expertise had not been utilized by coaches to enhance the athletes and establish expertise. Intel’s AI-powered 3D Athlete Tracking (3DAT) system was first used throughout the Toyko Olympics 2020, and it’ll once more be used this yr to assist athletes perceive their movement higher and acquire perception in real-time.
Swimming at Paris Olympics
Photo Credit: Olympics
The system tracks 21 factors throughout the human physique for exact bodily actions. The insights then assist athletes and coaches in enhancing actions to maximise effectivity.
Now, allow us to have a look at how expertise past AI is shaping the Paris Olympics 2024.
The Starter Pistol
If you will have watched any racing occasion within the Olympics, you could have seen that firstly, an official holds a handgun and shoots it to point that athletes can now begin working. However, these pistols don’t carry any ammunition and are all the time clean. But here is the fascinating half. They don’t even make a synthetic sound.
Racing occasion at Paris Olympics
Photo Credit: Olympics
The logic behind that’s if the Starter Pistol is the supply of the beginning sound, then the athlete closest to the gun will hear it first and the farthest will hear it final. While the distinction may be in milliseconds, it nonetheless is an unfair benefit to some and a drawback to others when races are sometimes selected the tiniest margins. To resolve this, these pistols are actually related to audio system positioned behind the runners. When the official fires the gun, the sound comes from the audio system, making your complete course of fairer.
VAR System
VAR, or Video Assistant Referee, is a technology-aided officiating system that has been a part of the soccer world for fairly a while now. The Olympics additionally integrates into the soccer occasion. The on-ground referee is assisted by an official watching the sport on a monitor.
Canoe occasion at Paris Olympics
Photo Credit: Olympics
Whenever the referee requires it, the official can use all of the expertise at his disposal to rewatch the incident from numerous angles and at completely different speeds to present the ultimate verdict.
Drones
While many people recognise drones on the Olympics from the sunshine reveals throughout the opening ceremony, these gadgets play an even bigger function throughout the occasion. Drones are utilized by the organisers for the safety and surveillance of each athletes and viewers. The drones can monitor massive crowds, establish potential safety threats, and even help in crowd management.
Rhythmic Gymnastics at Paris Olympics
Photo Credit: Olympics
Drones are additionally important in broadcasting to seize distinctive views with aerial photographs of athlete efficiency, the stadiums, and the encompassing panorama. During sporting occasions resembling street biking, marathons, and canoeing, these gadgets present invaluable footage following the contributors by way of completely different terrains.
While these have been a number of the main expertise integrations within the Paris Olympics 2024, the record is for much longer. There are bibs with sensors, cameras able to monitoring picture end, hi-tech underwater monitoring methods for diving and swimming occasions, and rather more. It is fascinating how the occasion, considered an excellence of human calibre, is being reworked by the capabilities of expertise.
