In a groundbreaking initiative, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today launched the Olympic Agenda for AI. This initiative was taken during an interactive event which took place at Lee Valley VeloPark in London, in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games took place.
THEOlympic Agenda for AI is the third part of a series of three strategic documents launched under the direction of Thomas Bach, President of the IOC. It follows Olympic Agenda 2020, launched in December 2014, and Olympic Agenda 2020+5, launched in March 2021. This document sets out the envisaged impact that artificial intelligence (AI) can bring to sport and how the IOC, as leader of the Olympic Movement, intends to lead the global implementation of AI in sport. The Olympic Agenda for AI sets out the IOC's ambition, sets out guiding principles, identifies high-impact areas for the application of AI and explores the framework and governance mechanisms needed to mitigate risks and promote responsible use of AI. It outlines four commitments made by the IOC as the organization takes the first steps to integrate AI into the Olympic ecosystem and leverage its power in its operations, at the Olympic Games and across the Olympic Movement.
The IOC President continued: “It is human beings who are at the heart of the Olympic Agenda for AI. In other words: athletes. Because athletes are at the heart of the Olympic Movement. Unlike other sectors, the sports sector is not faced with the existential question of whether AI will replace humans. In sport, it will always be up to the athlete to perform. It will always take an athlete – a human – to run the 100 meters. We can therefore focus on the potential of AI to support athletes.
AI can help identify athletes and talents in every corner of the world. AI can give more athletes access to personalized training methods, quality sports equipment and more personalized programs to stay fit and healthy. Beyond sports performance, AI is able to revolutionize judging and refereeing, thus strengthening fairness in sport. AI can strengthen protection in sports. AI will make the organization of sporting events extremely efficient, transform sports broadcasts and make the spectator experience much more personalized and immersive.
“We are determined to harness the immense potential of AI responsibly: the Olympic Agenda for AI sets out a robust governance framework for the implementation of this strategy, which must provide equitable access for all and guarantee the right of each individual to self-determination.
The IOC therefore wishes to pave the way for the future of sport with AI through responsible leadership by adopting change while preserving Olympic values.”
During a 1.5-hour interactive session, experts from the sports, technology, business and academia industries discussed the practical application of AI tools in sport and their implementation. artwork. The experts who participated in this session were:
- Thomas Bach, President of the IOC, Olympic fencing champion;
- Christopher Schell, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Intel Corporation, and Lindsey Vonn, Olympic ski champion, who discussed how AI could be used for talent identification in sport;
- michael evans, director and president of Alibaba, rowing champion, Alistair Brownlee, Olympic triathlon champion, and James Huckle, an Olympian in shooting, looked at how AI can contribute to athlete performance.
- Jesse Davis, professor in charge of the machine learning group and the DTAI sports data analysis laboratory at the KU Leuven Institute, and Masomah Ali Zada, member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for the Tokyo 2020 Games and chef de mission of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for the Paris 2024 Games, presented a study on the design of a bicycle and the impact of AI on sports equipment;
- Alain Zobrist, President and CEO of Swiss Timing, and Nadia comaneci, a five-time Olympic gymnastics champion who achieved a perfect score of “10,” discussed the potential impact of AI on refereeing and judging;
- Kirsty Burrows, head of the IOC unit for the practice of sport in complete safety, and Lindsey Vonn, Olympic ski champion, presented the role AI can play in supporting protection in sport;
- Christophe Dubi, Executive Director of the IOC Olympic Games, and Kevin Walsh, partner at Deloitte Northern Europe and Southern Europe, discussed the role of AI in optimizing the running of the Olympic Games.
- Amit Joshi, teacher in AI, analysis and marketing strategy at IMD, Andrew Stephen, Vice Dean of Faculty and Research, Professor of Marketing at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, and Sarah Walker, an Olympic silver medalist in BMX, shared the experiences and perspectives of AI experts within the IOC working group.
- Dr. Jian Wang, founder of Alibaba Cloud, who explained how historical images can be enhanced using AI.
- Yiannis Exarchos, Director General of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics Production, and Andrew Georgiou, President and Managing Director for UK & Ireland and Sports Europe, Warner Bros. Discovery, explained how AI technologies will transform the broadcast experience at the Paris 2024 Games.
What followed was a series of inspirational and thought-provoking discussions between the athletes and experts on the panel, which provided insight into the immense potential and uses of AI in the field of sport and more broadly. The development of the Olympic Agenda for AI has been supported by global Olympic partners and media rights holders.
Selina Yuan, President of Global Business Operations at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, commented: “Since the start of our partnership with the IOC in 2017, we have been committed to supporting the digital transformation of the Olympic Games using cloud technologies. With a track record of proven AI innovations, we hope to make the Games even more effective, engaging, sustainable and inclusive for everyone who contributes, and that starts with Paris 2024.”
Kevin Walsh, Associate Director, Deloitte Northern and Southern Europe, echoed this idea and said:
“As is the case in so many other sectors, AI is disrupting the sports ecosystem. We have partnered with the IOC to leverage Deloitte's experience in digital consulting to collaborate on the development of the Olympic Agenda for AI, which will help support the IOC and the Olympic Movement in aspiring to a future where AI empowers the many facets of human potential. »
Christoph Schell, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Intel Corporation, speaking about the impact of AI on sports, said: “The impact of AI will be transformative all over the world. At the heart of everything the IOC is highlighting today is the question of reliance on information processing capacity, the need for cutting-edge processing – for which Intel is at the forefront. The adoption of AI will make sports more inclusive, more competitive, safer and fairer. As a sports fan, this is incredibly fascinating. »
Alain Zobrist, Managing Director of Swiss Timing, commented on the event: “AI technology is already integrated into OMEGA's timing systems at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It allows us to analyze and understand athletic performance in much greater depth than before. We're excited to see where this innovation can take us in terms of data analytics and decision support. »
Molly Solomon, Executive Producer and President of NBC Olympics & Paralympics Production, said of the broadcast industry: “I am a storyteller by trade, and our mission is to continue to innovate to tell more compelling stories about athletes and the Olympic Games. Our presentations can be enriched by AI through data analysis, graphics and enhanced video, personalization and predictive analytics. AI can also help us navigate the wealth of content generated by the Olympic Games, connecting fans with the events and athletes they love, resulting in stronger engagement and more time spent on our platforms . »
The Olympic Agenda for AI is the result of the deliberations of the IOC AI Working Group. This panel of experts, from around the world, includes AI pioneers, academics, athletes and representatives of technology companies, all gathered under the aegis of the IOC in 2023 to study the use of AI in sport. The working group undertook a broad review of AI in sport as well as high-impact areas where the IOC could inspire the use of AI in its capacity as leader of the Olympic Movement and owner of the Games Olympics. It aims to guide the IOC's efforts to maximize opportunities and manage risks linked to the transformative power of artificial intelligence to support athletes and foster the development of sport and the Olympic Games.
The working group was composed of the following experts:
- Christopher G. Brinton, professor of electrical and computer engineering, Purdue University;
- Alistair Brownlee, Olympic triathlon champion and member of the IOC Athletes' Commission;
- Jesse Davis, professor, department of computer science, KU Leuven Institute;
- Randall Davis, professor of computer science and electrical engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT);
- Lou DiLorenzo, Director of Deloitte AI and Next Generation AI Incubator, Deloitte Consulting LLP;
- Soumitra Dutta, Dean Peter Moores and Professor of Management at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford;
- Daniel Ferrante, Managing Director and Lead Data Scientist, Deloitte Consulting LLP;
- Todd Harple, Head of AI Innovation Program for the Olympic Games, Intel;
- Amit Joshi, professor and expert in AI, IMD Business School;
- Patrick Lucey, scientific director, Stats Perform;
- Nitin Mittal, global AI director, Deloitte LLP;
- Agni Orfanoudaki, Associate Professor of Operations Management, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford;
- Daniela Rus, vice dean for research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT);
- Gadi Singer, Vice President and Director of Emerging AI Research, Intel Labs;
- Howard van Rooijen, founder, Endjin, & Microsoft Azure MVP;
- Pascal Vuilliomenet, project manager, EPFL Sportech initiative;
- Sarah Walker, Olympic silver medalist in BMX, IOC member and vice-president of the IOC Athletes' Commission;
- Dr. Jian Wang, founder of Alibaba Cloud.
