Dr Christian Guttmann, one of the pioneers in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, reckons AI is set to change the world of sports “in many, many ways”, arming athletes and sports leaders with data that improves performance and decision-making, and elevates the world of sports to a new level.

Speaking ahead of his appearance at the Dubai Artificial Intelligence in Sports (DAIS) Conference and Exhibition, Dr Guttmann, who visited Dubai Sports Council (DSC) on Sunday afternoon along with Finnish mountaineer Veikka Gustafsson to meet HE Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of DSC, and Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of DSC, said: “One thing that already happens today is that AI is already being used to look at how players are performing on the field.

“For example, how they are moving, how hard they kick the ball, how much they run back and forth, how much space they create. They often have sensors on their shirts, so you know what they are doing. So that’s one thing. You can also measure a lot of biometric information – how well they are sleeping, how much recovery time there is.

“All this information allows team bosses to make decisions about their best strategic formations, team combinations, and their best XI against a particular opponent. That is one area. Then, of course, when you have players, you want to develop them and AI gives you the information that you need to develop them. This information will make the difference, for example, in winning one gold medal and winning 10 gold medals in the future.”

Dr Guttmann is a German-Australian scientist and entrepreneur in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Science. He is the founder of Nordic Artificial Intelligence Institute (NAII) and an adjunct associate professor at the University of New South Wales, Australia and Adjunct researcher at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. He has edited and written seven books, over 50 publications and four patents in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

Dr Guttmann will take the dais with Prof Marc Raibert, a pioneer in robotics, on the opening day of DAIS, which is being held at Dubai World Trade Centre’s Sheikh Rashid Hall on October 14 and 15. The duo will be presenting their views in a session titled: “Looking Ahead at the Future of AI in Sport”.

Being organized under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the two-day DAIS Conference and Exhibition, organised by DSC, will bring together top decision-makers from the world of sport and leading names from the world of Artificial Intelligence for discussions on the scope of AI’s ability to enhance every facet of the global sports industry.

Dr Guttmann and Prof Raibert, who is the founder and CEO of robotics Boston Dynamics, will keynote an impressive list of speakers for the two-day conference that also includes French football legend and present Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane and former Dutch football star Clarence Seedorf.

Speaking about his presentation, Dr Guttmann said: “I will discuss a lot about how Artificial Intelligence and machine learning is going to influence sports in the future and how it has already brought about changes through analysis of patterns in games – in soccer games or basketball games, or any of those type of games. Or how you can improve the players and performances.

“So that’s one part of my presentation. The second part is about Robo Cups. It is about robots that are built to play sports, for example, table tennis, soccer and so on.

“The third topic I will discuss is essentially fan engagement. How can you engage the fans because obviously sports lives on its followers, supporters who love the teams and the stars. There are much more modern ways of doing that.

“So these will be my three main topics, and then I will end my presentation with and open talk and the big questions and challenges that lie ahead of us.”

FACTBOX

What: The Dubai Artificial Intelligence in Sports (DAIS) conference and exhibition

When: Monday 14th & Tuesday 15th October, 2019, 11am-7pm

Where: Sheikh Rashid Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE

Registration: www.DAIS.ae