Welcome to the 8th edition of the newsletter. In this we look at how AI is revolutionising the world of Sports, exploring some interesting news from around the globe and look at yet another item of ancient technology that is still enthralling life today. In the end, we’ll have a look at another prompt conversation that explores how ChatGPT can make your life easier. Let’s get into it!

News:

AI x Robot = 120 cocktails an hour: Tipsy Robot is a bar with two outlets in Las Vegas where a robot is the bartender. Is this the future of jobs in the hospitality industry? The workers are up in arms. What do you think? Read more here

Microsoft partners with Paige to transform cancer diagnosis: Healthcare Ai specialist, Paige, has teamed up with Microsoft to create the worlds largest large language model specifically trained on millions of cancer images. The expectation is that this will roll out to hospitals soon and provide advanced levels of diagnosis and patient care. Learn more here

Chatbots are popping up in US State and Local Governments: AI Chatbots like ChatGPT are being used by some parts of government in the United States and are being banned by others. See how this plays out here

Google turned 25!: The tech giant turned 25 this past week and Sundar Pichai spoke about their history and where they were going. Spoiler alert: AI is front and centre. I’m struggling to remember life before Google - what about you? Read the full stack here

UK in third place in the global AI race: The AI industry in the UK is thriving according to a recent report from the Global AI Ecosystem. It ranks number 3 beinhd USA and China in terms of overall economic contribution. Fantastic infographics and mindmaps here

Just One Thing: AI in Sports

Since the dawn of organised sports, technology has steadily infiltrated the realm of athletic competition. From carbon fibre tennis rackets to aerodynamic helmets, innovation aims to enhance performance. But nothing has shaped modern sports more profoundly than artificial intelligence (AI). Love it or hate it, AI is rewriting the rules of the game.

Just survey any major sport today. AI powered player and game analysis gives teams strategic edges. Injury prevention algorithms help optimise training loads. Officiating technologies like HawkEye and VAR improve decision accuracy. Even fan engagement is increasingly powered by virtual assistants and targeted recommendations. Make no mistake, the AI transformation of sports is hurtling full steam ahead.

Football on the Cutting Edge

Nowhere is this AI revolution more apparent than football, the world's most watched sport. The English Premier League (EPL) sits at the vortex of innovation, with vast sums invested in emerging technologies.

Pre-match preparation is a prime area. Teams now use AI game simulation models that analyse thousands of variables related to players, formations, and tactics. This enables coaches to devise counterstrategies tailored to opponents' strengths and weaknesses. Some clubs even scout fresh talent with AI systems that screen potential recruits based on technical, physical, psychological and financial parameters.

In game enhancements abound too. Wearable sensors and camera arrays produce a mind boggling volume of real-time biometric, positional and tactical data. AI digestion of this data can empower near instant strategic adjustments. Post match analysis is equally exhaustive, with computer vision able to breakdown slight individual movements that human eyes would miss in real time. The upshot - today's football managers have more performance metrics at their fingertips than ever before.

Yet the most controversial AI innovation is arguably Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology. Despite continuous controversy, VAR has undoubtedly increased accuracy and reduced blatant officiating errors since its introduction. AI enabled offside detection and predictive ball-tracking are particular successes. That said, complaints of VAR disrupting match flow persist. At what point does technological micro-optimisation diminish the free flowing nature of football that fans cherish? The debate rages on.

Injury Prevention

Alongside match optimisation, clubs are tapping AI to boost injury prevention and player welfare. Sophisticated algorithms can forecast injury probability for athletes based on training loads, fatigue, and other risk factors. Early warning systems trigger interventions like targeted rest and physio sessions to reduce injuries. During recovery, computer vision tracks progress through motion sensors and smart devices. While not flawless, and certainly not able to stop impact injuries, AI aided injury prevention has proven a godsend, saving clubs millions and giving players peace of mind.

Scouting Uncut Diamonds

AI scouting systems are equally invaluable, enabling managers to identify promising young talents worldwide that human scouts might miss. By digesting metrics on technical skills, physical attributes, and psychological traits, predictive models highlight individuals ripe for development. They also evaluate potential recruits holistically beyond just field performance. Assessments of financial viability, social media impact, and likely commercial appeal help managers make shrewd signing decisions. More art than science so far, AI scouting still holds immense potential to dig up uncut diamonds.

The Fan Experience Reimagined

Off the pitch, AI aims to captivate fans too. Clubs create endless engaging social media content using AI text, image and video generation. 'Conversational agents' provide 24/7 customer service, booking tickets or answering questions with human-like interaction. Personalised match highlights target individuals based on their activity history and preferences. The promise - hyper personalised immersive experiences that turn casual viewers into diehard loyalists, and consequently improve club revenues.

Ethical Quandaries

Yet, the rapid AI transformation of sports brings legitimate ethical concerns to the fore:

- Does AI give richer clubs an unfair advantage? Advanced analytics and biometric tech do not come cheap. The technology access gap could cement a hierarchy where poorer teams stand no chance.

- Will over reliance on technology suppress human talent and skill? What is the role of seasoned intuition if AI makes every decision? Will moments of individual brilliance be lost?

- How much technology assisted perfection diminishes the randomness, errors and unpredictability inherent in sports? The mystery of the unknown is a core attraction of any competition.

- Does AI threaten the conventional wisdom of veteran managers and 'gut feel' based decisions developed over decades? Will the next generation of managers be mere data readers without real expertise?

The stakes around these concerns are real. In football, a manager armed with AI insights could gain promotion worth millions. For a Formula 1 driver, split-second AI aided moves at 200 mph could mean the world championship. Is it fair for results to be so technologically determined?

The Delicate Balance

Yet for every AI achievement, a new debate emerges. VAR has minimised blatant refereeing mistakes at the cost of disrupting game flow. Even recreationally, the rise of shot-tracking apps has optimised the 'fun' out of golf and tennis for some players. At the elite level, over economisation of training loads by algorithms risks dehumanising athletes. Clearly, sports must strike a balance between progress and tradition.

AI is here to stay, no doubt. The genie is out of the bottle. But its integration with sports requires careful shaping to enhance rather than detract from the games we cherish. For while the analytical has its place, retaining the human spirit, spontaneity and unknown at the heart of sport remains vital. The choice of how to integrate progress and tradition is now ours to make. Sports may never be the same again in the age of AI transformation, but we can guide the outcome to preserve the beautiful essence of athletic competition for the future.

Remember When:

Turn back the clock to 1982 and think of the world back then. I was 16. I was living in a village with a couple of shops, a hairdresser and a couple of pubs. One of those pubs had a hallway area that under age kids could get into and in that hallway was this:

I still vividly remember the first time I played Space Invaders. My friends and I would frequently hang out at the aforesaid pub, where the Space Invaders arcade took centre stage in the hallway. Despite its blocky two-dimensional graphics and repetitious shooting mechanic, Space Invaders enthralled us. The thrill of blasting pixelated aliens and seeing my initials flash on the high score screen kept me pumping 2 pence coins into that machine all night long. Little did I know at the time how much gaming would evolve in just 40 short years.

I can still hear the “pew pew” sound effects and electronic music playing as I guided my little laser cannon back and forth, dropping shot after shot on the descending aliens. It didn’t matter that the graphics were two-dimensional or that the gameplay was repetitive - I was hooked. Space Invaders sparked a gaming craze that only grew from there.

As an adult with young kids years later, I witnessed the evolution of gaming consoles. The Game Boy gave way to the PSP which eventually gave way to the Playstation and Xbox. With each generation, the graphics, storytelling and gameplay depth expanded drastically. Though I never really got into gaming beyond my Space Invaders experience, I observed my kids spend hours immersed in these ever advancing virtual worlds. Long car journeys with three Game Boys linked up in the back seats made for a much more serene trip! The two-dimensional novelty of my Space Invaders experience was clearly long gone.

Over four decades, gaming has rapidly evolved from pixelated novelty to today’s photorealistic, cinematically crafted virtual universes with rich narratives that enthral millions of players simultaneously worldwide. As I have watched these games evolve, it’s staggering to reflect on the primitive graphics and simple shooting action of Space Invaders that so enthused me in my youth. Yet while the technology has exponentially grown, the basic human desire to play and compete remains the same.

Looking back on 40 years from Space Invaders to present day multi player, multi verse games, the advancements seem unbelievable. Yet the core appeal of gaming - the fun, challenge and social bonding - remains despite revolutionary leaps in computational power. I feel a twinge of nostalgia watching kids play immersive games that my Space Invaders era mind couldn't even conceive. It's been an incredible ride from two-dimensional aliens to elaborately crafted virtual universes in just a few decades.

Practical Prompts:

Continuing the theme of sharing with you conversations with ChatGPT, here is a excerpt of a promt chat that sees me ask for and get economics quotes that I can tweet on a daily basis. This is very simple level stuff, but a good example of what can be achieved incredibly quickly.

Me: I want to tweet a series of quotes regarding macro economics and technology, preferably combined. They must be no more than two sentences and should come from well known figures that will be recognisable to many. The feel of the quotes should be informative, educational and possibly witty. The intent is to create engagement so happy for the quotes to be controversial. Please come up with 20 examples...

ChatGPT: Certainly! Here are 20 quotes that touch on the intersection of macroeconomics and technology, designed to be informative, educational, and engaging:

1. "The stock market is filled with individuals who know the price of everything, but the value of nothing." - Philip Fisher.

2. "Inflation is taxation without legislation." - Milton Friedman.

3. "The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency." - Bill Gates

…

19. "I made my money by selling too soon." - Bernard Baruch.

20. "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." - Steve Jobs.

These quotes are not only pertinent to macroeconomics and technology but are also from well-known figures, aiming to engage your audience effectively. Feel free to tweak them to fit your personal voice.

Me: Thats a good list, thanks. There are some that I won't be able to use because the autors are not so well known and there is no direct link to technology. Could you give me another 20 please with the focus on better known and economics + technology

ChatGPT: Certainly, let's zero in on quotes from well-known figures that more explicitly combine elements of macroeconomics and technology:

1. "Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – not a threat." - Steve Jobs

2. "It's not the consumers' job to know what they want." - Steve Jobs

3. "The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow." - Bill Gates

…

19. "There's no shortage of remarkable ideas, what's missing is the will to execute them." - Seth Godin

20. "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison

I hope these additional quotes more closely align with your focus on well-known figures and the intersection of economics and technology. Feel free to use them to engage your audience!

Me: Great list, I'll be able to use most of them. Lastly, Can I focus on quotes from Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. Please give me 10 from each

ChatGPT: Certainly, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk are both iconic figures known for their groundbreaking contributions to technology and their influence on the economic landscape. Here are 10 quotes from each that may serve your purpose:

Steve Jobs

1. "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

2. "It's not the consumers' job to know what they want."

…

10. "I'm convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance."

Elon Musk

1. "I could either watch it happen or be a part of it."

2. "Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough."

…

10. "I think that's the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself."

Feel free to use these quotes to engage and grow your audience on the topics of economics and technology.

Me: Thanks for the list, they are all really good. I'll take it from here.

This whole conversation took about four minutes, most of which involved me typing. Each generation of 20 quotes took less than 45 seconds. Its truly remarkable how quickly you can get things done. Best thing? It’s only going to get better!

That’s it for another week! I hope you continue to enjoy the newsletter. Thanks to all of you who give feedback and forward articles that broaden my knowledge; I really appreciate it. As always, you can reach me on Twitter/X by clicking on the bird logo below, otherwise email at [email protected]. Please do follow me on X where I post several times each day. Thanks for being a subscriber.