The Use of AI in Sports - How Data and Algorithms Shape Future Athletes

Written by Anthony Lim

December 17th, 2025

Abstract and interpretation by Ethan Ha:

This concise yet holistic research paper on the partnership between humans and AI agents in the sports industry and performance maximization reveals key insights into the approaches of the modern AI Age in integrating ML-driven models with training, recovery, documentation, and biometric data usage across diverse sports disciplines. It also evinces its ethical concerns and societal issues that arise through the co-working of humans and AI models, such as data privacy and the usage of athletes' biometric data, as well as the deliberate mix and governance of AI integration in e.g. sports matches that comforts and satisfies the players and the viewers to ensure entertainment is maximized while accuracy and individual performance are elevated. This paper also implies the corollary sociological implication of athletes in co-existence with AI, becoming increasingly static and efficient to follow the AI-advised training and techniques, reducing the room for personal freedom, creativity, and entertainment through eye-catching, and possibly less efficient skills or moves, which has stunned and brought joy to the fans and athletes themselves (In football for instance, the philosophy of utilizing these flairs and creativity is commonly referred to as "Joga Bonito" = "play beautifully"). In short, it highlights the proper discussion and governance of AI in the athletic industry and accentuates the need to keep portraying and pursuing sports as a means of expression and instinct rather than an activity of machine-like precision executed from a human body.