How AI Is Discovering Athletes That Human Scouts Miss | Richard Felton-Thomas | TED

Overview

This talk explores how AI and computer vision are revolutionizing talent discovery in sports, addressing the limitations of traditional scouting methods. Richard Felton-Thomas shares how his team at ai.io developed tools like aiScout to identify hidden athletic talent globally, leveling the playing field for athletes regardless of geography or resources.

Notable Quotes

- Talent is universal and brilliance exists in every corner of the globe. Now, with technology and your very own smartphone, you can make that talent visible and level the playing field. – Richard Felton-Thomas

- Entire futures could be decided in one day by one person who has an opinion. – Richard Felton-Thomas, on the biases of traditional scouting.

- One player downloaded the app from a shared community phone, had never played organized sport, and got himself a five-year scholarship. – Richard Felton-Thomas, on the transformative power of AI-driven scouting.

🏅 The Limitations of Traditional Scouting

- Scouting is inherently limited by geography, cost, and access, leaving many talented athletes unseen.

- Premier League scouts, for example, can only evaluate about 2,000 players annually, while millions play the game.

- Scouting decisions are often subjective, relying on the opinion of a single individual, which can lead to biases and missed opportunities.

🤖 AI and Computer Vision in Talent Discovery

- ai.io developed aiScout, an app that uses computer vision and AI to analyze athletes' performance through smartphone-recorded drills.

- The app evaluates 22 key body segments, converting 2D video into inferred 3D data to measure metrics like speed, coordination, and agility.

- AI algorithms, trained with input from professional scouts, provide tailored evaluations based on the specific needs of teams or coaches.

🌍 Democratizing Access to Sports Opportunities

- aiScout enables athletes from remote or underserved areas to showcase their talent.

- A partnership with the Reliance Foundation in India allows tens of thousands of children to participate in talent identification programs via the app.

- Success stories include a player who used a shared community phone to access the app and earned a five-year sports scholarship despite never playing organized sports.

⚽ Real-World Impact and Expansion

- The app has been adopted by organizations like Chelsea FC, Burnley FC, and the MLS NEXT program, with 45,000 kids in the U.S. using it to track their progress.

- aiScout has identified hidden talent, such as a 17-year-old who lived near Chelsea FC but had never been scouted, leading to his professional career.

- The technology has also been used to identify athletes for the Senegalese Youth Olympic teams, matching kids' physical strengths to suitable sports.

📈 The Future of AI in Sports and Beyond

- ai.io plans to expand globally, introducing multi-language and multi-cloud capabilities to adapt to regional needs.

- The technology is being adapted for other sports like basketball, baseball, and cricket, leveraging universal movement patterns.

- Potential applications extend beyond sports, including at-home healthcare and medical diagnostics.