#28 Euro 2024: Where AI Meets the Beautiful Game

As Euro 2024 approaches, excitement is building. This year’s tournament, hosted across Germany and Scotland, promises not just thrilling matches but also a new blend of sports and technology, driven by artificial intelligence.

England: The Data-Driven Contenders

England is one of the favorites for Euro 2024, not just because of their talent but also due to their use of AI. Under Gareth Southgate, the team uses data analytics and AI to gain an edge. Partnering with Google Cloud, the FA’s Player Profiling System analyzes data from every match, helping with player selection and tactics. AI highlights areas for improvement, such as set pieces, by identifying patterns and trends that might be missed otherwise.

The FA’s Scouting Summarisations project is another innovation. It uses AI to sift through scouting reports, ensuring that future stars like Harry Kane and Phil Foden are spotted early. This approach means England is always looking ahead, ready to stay on top.

According to Sportradar's AI simulations, England has a 24% chance of winning the tournament, topping the list ahead of France and Germany. This prediction is based on 10,000 simulations of the matches, showcasing England's strong position.

Hungary: The AI-Backed Underdogs

AI has also picked a surprising dark horse for the tournament—Hungary. Grouped with strong teams like Switzerland, Scotland, and Germany, Hungary isn’t seen as a typical favorite. However, players like Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool and Willi Orban of RB Leipzig could make a big impact. OpenAI’s prediction adds an exciting twist, making Hungary a team to watch.

Tech-Savvy Euro 2024

Technology is enhancing Euro 2024 in many ways. VAR and connected ball technology ensure fair play, while semi-automated offside technology improves decision-making accuracy. Behind the scenes, companies like Atos and Deutsche Telekom provide robust IT and connectivity, ensuring the tournament runs smoothly.

The AI Debate in Football

AI’s role in football sparks debate. On the positive side, it offers detailed data analysis, helping teams make informed decisions and improve performance. It also engages fans with deeper insights. However, critics argue that relying too much on AI can strip the game of its unpredictability and emotional excitement. AI can’t fully account for human factors like player morale or spontaneous decisions.

The Future of AI in Football

As AI evolves, its impact on football will grow. Coaches like Gareth Southgate know that embracing technology is crucial to staying competitive. Yet, balancing AI with traditional coaching wisdom is key to preserving football’s essence.

Euro 2024 promises to be a showcase of this balance, where data-driven strategies meet the unpredictable drama of the sport. Whether it’s England’s high-tech approach or Hungary’s potential surprise run, the tournament is set to be a thrilling blend of human and AI brilliance. Let the games begin!

What I Read This Week in Artificial Intelligence

Stability AI has released Stable Audio Open, an open AI model for generating short sounds and songs from text descriptions. Trained on royalty-free recordings, it can create drum beats, instrument riffs, and ambient noises but isn’t optimized for full songs or vocals. It’s not for commercial use and may reflect biases from its training data.

Nvidia's market cap has reached $3.01 trillion, surpassing Apple to become the second most valuable company globally. Fueled by its AI chip dominance, Nvidia reported $14 billion in profit recently and plans to launch new AI chips annually, starting with the Blackwell B200 GPU.

Raspberry Pi is joining the AI trend by partnering with Hailo to offer an AI add-on for its microcomputers. The AI Kit, featuring Hailo's Hailo-8L M.2 accelerator, integrates with Raspberry Pi’s camera software and supports AI applications like chatbots. Priced at $70, it will be available soon through Raspberry Pi-approved resellers.

Humane AI Pin's charging case poses a battery fire risk, prompting the company to advise customers to stop using it immediately. The issue stems from battery cells supplied by a third-party vendor, not the case design. Affected customers will receive two months of a free Humane subscription while the company seeks a new battery supplier.

Spotify may soon get its own Gemini extension, similar to YouTube Music's recent update. Strings in Google's app suggest users will be able to start playing their playlists via Gemini and will need to sign in to access Spotify. This extension could enhance music discovery and playlist management on Spotify.

Shutterstock's AI-licensing business generated $104 million last year by licensing its visual media library to train AI models. Key clients include OpenAI, Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon. The company anticipates $138 million in revenue from AI licensing in 2024 and projects $250 million by 2027.

The Tribeca Festival and OpenAI have announced the debut of five short films created using OpenAI’s text-to-video AI model, Sora. These films, made by award-winning Tribeca alumni, will premiere on June 15, 2024, exploring AI as a creative tool. The initiative highlights storytelling's evolving landscape and includes a post-screening discussion with the filmmakers.

Zuck became cooler, and so did Facebook. Meta reports that Facebook is seeing its highest number of young adult users in three years, with over 40 million U.S. and Canadian adults aged 18 to 29 checking the app daily. This resurgence is part of Meta's efforts to regain young users who have gravitated towards TikTok. Facebook, now with 3.2 billion users globally, continues to strive for relevance among younger demographics.

Microsoft is introducing AI-powered Copilot agents that act like virtual employees to automate tasks, such as monitoring email inboxes and performing data entry. These agents will proactively handle tasks, working in the background, and will be customizable for various business needs. Microsoft aims to reduce repetitive tasks without replacing jobs, enhancing efficiency while maintaining human oversight.

Google has reduced the visibility of its AI Overviews in search results, dropping from 27% of queries at launch in mid-May to 11%. Despite the reduction, AI Overviews still appear frequently in healthcare-related searches, raising concerns about accuracy and reliability. This response follows heavy criticism and reflects Google's ongoing efforts to refine the feature.

AI Tools Worth Your Attention

DayApp Inc. : DayApp is an AI tool that connects individuals with customer support operators, bypassing wait times and IVR systems.

Meal plans & recipes: OH, a potato! : "OH, a potato!" is an AI-powered meal planner that helps you find, save, and plan recipes using ingredients you already have.

True3D : QuickVid Autopilot is a generative video AI tool that curates, edits, and posts clips from your existing videos. Simply connect your Video Source (YouTube, Drive, Zoom) and your Posting Destination (YouTube, LinkedIn, X), and it will post daily on your behalf.

Community News - South Florida

FULL HOUSE! Over 200 people joined Miami AI Hub 's Generative Gatherings on Thursday night!

Last 1 week to HackinMiami! Join over 300 builders, hackers, and developers on June 15th- 16th at THE HUB @ Office Logic !

HackinMiami will have:

? Two developer tracks (General AI & HealthTech)

? Access to leading AI tools

? A bunch of high-quality networking

? Prizes

?? : lu.ma/hackinmiami01

Thank you all community leaders for supporting this great initiative!

Ayal Stern , Erick Gavin Joel Mena Julie Vallejos Pasco Chris Daniels ?? Pipe Martina ?? Paul Griebel Jonathan R. Beto Navarro ??Ryan Rea Francisco Garcia Cristian Ruiz Hilmon Sorey Jose Luis Sirven Michelle Bakels Gianni D'Alerta ?? Ralph Quintero Patrick Dyer Cesar Villa-Garcia

And that's a wrap! ?? If you discovered something new, don't just nod—hit LIKE, share your thoughts, and subscribe! See you next edition for more insights. Stay tuned! ??