Artificial Intelligence Enters the World Cup Thanks to Google Gemini

Slowly but surely, Artificial intelligence is finding its way into gaming. Latest location? This year’s World Cup, of course Google they will join the defenders of Argentina to show it off Gemini yard and yard.

The partnership with the Argentine Football Association (AFA) makes Gemini the main sponsor of the national team. As part of the agreement, the Google Gemini logo will appear on the Albiceleste’s training equipment and an exclusive AI tool will be used to analyze the team’s performances, appearances, performances, and statistics.

“It’s not just about opening the door (for) AI,” said Google spokesperson Flor Sabatini, “but about understanding its limits and improving the technology.”

During the tournament, players and coaches will be able to access AI models to break down plays, analyze opponents’ statistics and, theoretically, shorten the time it takes for these analyzes to be performed on the field. Google did not detail the internal equipment that Argentina will use, but the goal is clear: the World Cup will be a stress test of Google AI in the most difficult environment of professional football.

For the fans, the concept is pretty cool and, in some ways, very ambitious. Google’s search engine will be redesigned to act as a companion, with AI-generated answers to real-time queries, key match analysis and in-depth statistics. It also allows fans to create music, memes, artwork, and other visuals to encourage social media interaction during and after the game.

According to Google, the search giant closed its deal with Argentina in March but did not announce until May that it would continue to negotiate with other teams. Although Google placed media coverage in Argentina—perhaps because of top players like Lionel Messi—the company also closed deals with Brazil and France, two other teams that lifted the World Cup.

Sabatini says that, for Google, the World Cup is the most important event of the year. “The passion that the Argentine national team arouses more than the Argentine people. It is to share,” he emphasizes. According to the AFA, this agreement represents an injection of modernity to an organization that, like many clubs, moves between the traditions of football and the urgency to make money of its kind.

Moving has its risks. Bringing AI into the World Cup stadiums means showing millions of questions at once, different cultures, and the inevitable change of the results of a single game. If a Gemini combines figures, makes a line, or creates a picture with the wrong shield, the error will have a global effect.

The World Cup is a culture-enhanced event that accelerates the adoption of new technologies, from the popularity of television to the use of GPS to measure players’ training sessions to the use of video assistant technology (VAR) to resolve disputes in on-field calls. Now, it’s AI.

The difference here is the scale. In the past, the technology company has put the name of AI on the chest of players and, at the same time, on the phones of millions of fans.

This article appeared first WIRED in Spanish and translated from Spanish.