BAHRAIN can improve its sporting performance by using artificial intelligence (AI) by spotting and identifying moments to learn from and get better, according to a top expert.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology research scientist Dr Silvio Giancola said that the kingdom should invest in AI and train algorithms to tailor to sporting needs.
Dr Giancola
He was speaking yesterday during the third Bahrain International Virtual Conference on AI in Sports, which brought together top experts from Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Italy and the UAE.
“Sports authorities in Bahrain should look at investing in AI in action spotting in order to continually learn and improve its sporting capabilities,” said Dr Giancola.
“It allows athletes and those included in sports in general to look back on moments in the past and learn from them, while providing a comprehensive analysis on what is happening.
“In football, for example, it can analyse fouls or goals and help those involved understand the action that just happened.
“You can use that to learn how such actions were dealt with in the past, and how it could be dealt with in the future.”
Action spotting AI has a number of diverse applications including medical analysis, smart officiating and game analysis.
It can help physiotherapists in Bahrain determine the exact moment an injury occurred, leading to a higher accuracy in diagnosis and treatment options.
It can also be used to ensure a higher level of refereeing in sports, allowing officials to learn from past moments and mistakes and increase accuracy of correct decision-making.
Despite the pros, though, Dr Giancola described a number of challenges associated with action spotting AI.
“Old footage were shot in a different format and has a different quality than newer ones,” he said.
“Footage shot in 1930 will be very difficult to analyse compared to more recent footage.
“Additionally, an AI is only as good as the data it is fed.
“In order for it to have practical use in Bahrain, data needs to be structured, which can be done by partnering up with organisations such as Fifa, for example, who have a goldmine of data.
“If you feed an AI bad data, you get bad results. Thus, it is crucial to identify Bahrain’s sporting needs first and foremost, then invest in technology and focus on applying it correctly.”
Yesterday’s virtual conference was organised by the General Sports Authority (GSA), in collaboration with the His Highness Shaikh Nasser Centre for Research and Development in Artificial Intelligence.
It was attended by GSA vice-president Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and the conference organising committee chairman Dr Jassim Haji.
Shaikh Salman stated that the event came as part of directives by His Majesty King Hamad and His Majesty’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
He reiterated Bahrain’s desire to continue supporting such initiatives that develop AI and sports on a regional and international level.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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