Scouting and Talent Identification with AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming sports talent scouting and identification by improving data analysis, decision-making, and others. Here we will explain a detailed look at how AI is changing this field:
Data-Driven Scouting
Traditional scouting uses to depend on the decisions and insufficient data that scouters have. This is why AI gives a lot of different options of a wider point of view from hidden talents, also AI offers a data methodology that finds potential talent by evaluating huge databases.
Performance Metrics Analysis is where AI algorithms come into play by processing lots of information like player statistics, game performances or physical aspects. What AI can evaluate nowadays is insane, it can recapt information of a soccer player's passing accuracy, speed, and decision-making under pressure to judge suitability for higher competition levels.
Video analysis is when computer vision technology enables AI to analyze game footage, where players use their skills, tactical awareness, and physical capabilities. This make that scouts can evaluate players seeing all their potential from different points of view. Platforms like aiScout utilize AI to analyze player videos, providing clubs with detailed perceptions into a player's abilities.
Predictive Analytics
AI's predictive capabilities assess a player's future performance and development trajectory.
Career progression forecasting involves AI algorithms that predict potential careers of players by making a forecast of all it's statistics from the past, this helps the clubs that are looking to scout new players to make the club more successful and also they make sure that they are doing a good investment decision.
In sports it is very common the injuries, they can be very bad for players because it can have bad effects to their career. Injury risk assessment uses AI to identify players with long term potential by examining different factors such as their playing style, physical condition and past injuries to predict future risks
Some sports business use AI to allow their team to manage in a effective way their players workloads and the probability for their players to get injuries.
Global Talent Discovery
AI related with scouting is finding new talents in minority areas where scouting is not usual. This gives great opportunities to those athletes who don't have the chance to get an opportunity to get scouted.
For this minority there are automated scouting platforms that uses AI to analyze data from global leagues to make shine athletes that are not known because of their area. For example, teams can find talent without getting worried for their location thanks to AI.
Besides that, scouts also focus on online content analysis and social media (Instagram, Hudl...). AI searches on internet to spot those talented ones that have not been discovered by analyzing their highlights, social media activity, and additional comments from fans.
Integration with Traditional Scouting
AI is a complement, an addition to the already practiced and balanced approach of the traditional scouting method, of course, not a substitute but an update.
When scouts take the right useful decisions which are in their interest through the AI guides they develop boost in decision support. For example, AI can help a scout to explain a player's stress resistant and reliable performance by pointing it out.
Resource optimization is the main and most important method that has been introduced with increasing the efficiency of the initial evaluation process where AI gives scouts possibility to focus on comprehensive assessment of the shortlisted candidates only. Thus the clubs are superpowers that are the results of such a simple way of scientific development.
Challenges and Considerations
Besides AI's multiplicity of advantages, however, issues still persist these issues remain very difficult.
Written by: Bernat Cusidó
References:
https://technologymagazine.com/articles/google-identifying-the-next-generation-of-football-talent-wi
Great article! This is definitely in my option a benefit for younger players coming into professional sports to be scouted. Will give more opportunities to young athletes who may not have been scouted because of where they live etc. My question is do you think there will be in the future different types of players (i.e based on ability stats) than if traditional scouts were to see in person a young talent (i.e the style of play)?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the positive feedback Rachel! No matter where they live, young athletes can have greater awareness because to AI, which helps democratize talent identification. In response to your question, it is possible that AI scouting will help identify various player types. AI puts a strong emphasis on data-driven insights like performance measurements and technological qualities, whereas traditional scouts frequently rely on intuition and first impressions. This could result in a change in the kinds of players scouted since AI might focus more on players that excel in particular measurable criteria.
DeleteIt's interesting to see how AI is taking over more and more of everything, even in scouting. I think that scouting is still better from a human perspective. Do you think that in the future teams will depend more on AI than on the intuition and experience of human scouts?
ReplyDeleteHello David. Many people in the sector share this interesting viewpoint. Even if AI is improving scouting, human interaction is still essential for completely comprehending a player's intangibles, like attitude, flexibility, and leadership on the field. The intuition and experience of human scouts will continue to be essential for player evaluations. The best strategy will probably be a hybrid one in which AI provides scouts with detailed information but human judgment add context that are impossible to express with just numbers.
DeleteInteresting post! AI is changing scouting by helping teams find talent in new ways and making decisions based on data. But could relying on data too much make teams miss players with unique qualities? What’s the best way to keep a balance?
ReplyDeleteGreat question Olinga! Even though AI could speed up
Deletethe scouting process and offer unmatched data-driven insights, there is a chance that depending too much on statistics would miss individuals with distinctive, less identifiable characteristics like leadership, creativity, or tactical awareness. A comprehensive assessment of a player's potential is made possible by mixing AI and human judgment, guaranteeing that exceptional talent isn't overlooked simply because it doesn't match a standard data pattern.
Really engaging article you have post! It is a common knowledge that AI is changing the world some of it as a complement of the traditional work and some others for replacing it. What impact do you think this type of AI will affect (either positively or negatively) on sports in 5 years?
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your comment. AI in sports scouting will increase injury prevention, decision-making, and talent discovery during the next five years. Over-reliance on data, financial constraints for smaller teams, and possible algorithm bias all obstacles, though. For the greatest results, AI and human judgment must be balanced.
Delete(Alejandro Redondo) Great Article! I thought that nowdays a lot of clubs are implanting AI to found great players. For exemple RCDE Espanyol last year. Do you think is a efficient tool to discover great players?
ReplyDeleteHow do you think AI could help find talent in smaller sports that don’t have the same resources as bigger ones like football or basketball?
ReplyDelete