AI firm aims to reignite Gen Z's interest in sports

Sport has been unable to resist the surge of artificial intelligence (AI) and the biggest one of them all, football, is benefiting from data that AI can supply and the human eye cannot.

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Warsaw-based ReSpo.Vision, which says it is unique in gathering data by using AI, has two immediate goals - women's football and reigniting Generation Z's interest in watching sports, its co-founder Pawel Osterreicher told AFP.

The company - which counts the South American football body Conmebol and their Central American counterparts Concacaf among its clients - is able to capture data from matches from just a single camera angle.

This makes gathering data much cheaper, as players do not need to wear any technology and there is no need for multiple cameras to capture the data, thanks to AI.

ReSpo.Vision's programme - which was used at the 2024 Copa America - was recently awarded Fifa certification.

Osterreicher said AI can provide data on aspects of football that humans cannot, such as acceleration, passing lanes, heat maps and zones of control.

He said the data can help the "Goliaths" as well as the "Davids", just as it did by assisting in second-tier side Wisla Krakow's giant-killing exploits on their way to lifting the Polish Cup in 2024.