Behind the AI World Cup: Thousands of data workers power football analytics
By
Rina Chandran, Michael Beltran
Summary
The article explores how the 2022 FIFA World Cup relies on AI-powered technologies — including sensor-fitted balls, real-time tracking, AI-assisted offside calls, and AI assistants for teams — all of which are powered by thousands of data annotation workers in countries like India, Cambodia, and the Philippines. It highlights the often-invisible human labor behind AI systems in sports, covering how data analytics has been used in football for over two decades for recruitment, tactics, injury prevention, and broadcasting, while also noting the role of this data in the sports betting industry.
Source
bskyBehind the AI World Cup: Thousands of data workers power football analyticsrestofworld.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe current edition of the FIFA World Cup features a sensor-fitted ball, real-time tracking, artificial intelligence-assisted offside calls, and an AI assistant for each of the 48 teams.
Behind these innovations are data workers in countries including India, Cambodia, and the Philippines, who are essential for the many AI tools in play.
Football embraced data analytics more than two decades ago, and nearly every national team and major club now uses it for recruitment, training, game tactics, injury prevention, player management, and more.
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