IBM’s AI Tool to Revolutionize Player Recruitment for Sevilla FC.
The world of sports is getting a technological upgrade with IBM’s latest AI tool, Scout Adviser. This tool is designed to help the Spanish football team, Sevilla FC, scout new players. Built on IBM’s Watson platform, Scout Adviser uses advanced technology to analyze and recommend potential recruits for the team.
Scout Adviser delves into Sevilla FC’s database of prospective players. It uses natural language processing and foundation models to assess candidates and generate a list of players matching Sevilla’s needs. The tool considers a wide range of quantitative data (like height, weight, speed, goals scored, and minutes played) and qualitative (such as detailed textual analysis from over 200,000 scouting reports).
Recruiting players for elite sports teams, especially in football, involves significant financial stakes, long-term contracts, and performance and return on investment (ROI) uncertainties. Sevilla FC has traditionally relied on subjective human observation and limited data analysis, which can be time-consuming and consider only a few factors. The introduction of IBM’s Scout Adviser brings a new dimension to this process, combining existing metrics with the power of generative AI. This technology bridges the gap between data-driven scouting and the nuanced assessment of human behaviors, enhancing the club’s talent identification and decision-making processes.
While Scout Adviser offers a new edge in player recruitment, Sevilla FC isn’t abandoning traditional methods. The club will still utilize the expertise of its scouts and analysts. The AI tool supplements human judgment by generating curated lists of candidates based on desired traits and providing comprehensive summaries of each player’s reports.
Artificial Intelligence is making a positive impact across various sectors. Friar Paolo Benanti, the Vatican’s AI expert, has lauded the technology as a testament to human intelligence and ability. Echoing this sentiment, Ana Paula de Assis, Chair and General Manager EMEA at IBM, has highlighted AI’s capability to transform businesses in numerous fields.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has also acknowledged the influence of AI through its 19th Global Risks Report. This report sheds light on AI technologies’ positive and negative impacts on individuals, businesses, and economies, including generative AI. It outlines potential adverse outcomes and challenges that may arise from AI advancements.
