- AI expert explains how technology will change coaching
- AI will soon provide coaches with data to counter tactics
Leading experts predict the impact of artificial intelligence on the job market will be far-reaching – and may also change the way the AFL is coached.
Executive director of Champion Data, the AFL’s official analytics provider, Tim Kelsey believes AI technology will change the way Aussie Rules footy is coached in a significant way – and will do so in the near future.
“At some point, a computer using artificial intelligence could reason about what’s happening in the game and what it could do to counteract what’s happening,” Kelsey shared. CODE Sports.
‘But people get nervous when you go down this path – “Oh, it doesn’t allow your own thinking” – so we talk about data-informed decisions for a coach, rather than data-driven decisions.
‘A coach must be informed and must also use his own judgment in today’s match.’
Champion Data now uses optical tracking from cameras to give coaches more insight into things like player positioning and matchups.
Kelsey explained that the information AI will soon provide could override coaches’ use of the “eye test.”
“Instead of just ‘Nick Daicos gets tagged by Toby Bedford,’ we’ll end up with a much more nuanced answer,” Kelsey said.
Artificial intelligence will change the way AFL matches are coached, says a leading expert (Photo: Nick Daicos kicking for Collingwood this year)
Coaches like Brisbane’s Chris Fagan (pictured) will have access to AI that can decipher what’s happening in a match and how to counter it with specific tactics
“The AI response might discover that it’s tagging him during interruptions, but if they’re outside of the interruptions, they’re nowhere near each other.
‘So you can get much more fine-grained and accurate information.’
A pioneer in embracing technological advancements, the NBA uses advanced AI that can provide data to coaches in about 10 seconds during a game.
This analysis of data helps coaches make important real-time decisions about player rotations and strategies.
With rapid advancements in technology, coaches like John Longmire and Chris Fagan soon won’t have to wait until the next day to understand exactly how they were defeated.
AI will soon be able to provide information accurate enough to bypass the ‘eye test’ that coaches use to make tactical changes (Photo: Swans players being coached during a stoppage in play in the 2024 season)
Artificial intelligence has conjured up nightmare scenarios like those explored in the Terminator films (pictured) – and in the real world there are fears the technology will lead to massive job losses
“Instead of just trying to do it with people, we can start figuring out things like who comes on and off automatically, exchanging moves, player positions, who’s playing who and getting them much more accurately,” Kelsey said.
“And once we get those in place, we’ll start looking at some of the more difficult things, like trying to find out if we can detect kicks and pressure.”
Kelsey believes one of the biggest challenges of AI is how people embrace it.
He does predict that the technology will be successful.
“I think in the long term the debate will be about whether a computer using artificial intelligence could achieve a better result than a coach,” he predicted.