Untangling AI

?? ?? ?? Just analyzed Fast Company's "Most Innovative Companies in Sports for 2025" list, and the themes are clear: AI-powered analytics, immersive viewing experiences, women's sports revolution, and innovative business models are reshaping sports as we know it. The top 10 innovators: ?? WNBA: For posting up when it mattered (242% increase in sellouts!) ?? Cosm: For enhancing access to immersive sports experiences with 87-foot LED domes ? Major League Baseball: For hauling America's pastime into the 21st century ?? Snap! Mobile: For establishing professional-grade tools in high school sports ?? Overtime: For creating content-driven youth sports leagues ?? ai.io: For democratizing sports scouting with AI ?? adidas: For stepping up the performance of its footwear ?? WSC Sports: For using AI to generate highlight clips ?? StatusPRO: For putting gamers right between the hash marks ??♀? Parity: For tightening the gender income gap among athletes In my full article, I dive into: 1?? What emerging themes are driving sports innovation in 2025 2?? An analysis of all 10 companies and their breakthrough approaches 3?? Comparison with 2023-2024 lists to track how the industry is evolving ... and a small bonus at the end. What company do you think is missing from this year's list? Which innovation has you most excited? WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) Major League Baseball (MLB) A guy with a scarf Realtime Fan Engagement Untangling AI #SportsInnovation #SportsTech #SportsBusiness #FutureOfSports

The State of AI: How Organizations Are Rewiring to Capture Value?by McKinsey & Company, provides insights into how organizations are adopting and scaling generative AI (gen AI) to drive business value. Here are the key points: 1.?Organizational Changes for AI Adoption Companies are redesigning workflows, elevating governance, and mitigating risks to capture value from gen AI. Larger companies (with $500M+ annual revenue) are leading the charge, with CEOs often overseeing AI governance. 21% of organizations have fundamentally redesigned workflows due to gen AI deployment. 2.?Centralization of AI Deployment Organizations are selectively centralizing AI deployment, with risk and compliance, data governance, and AI strategy often centralized. Tech talent and AI solution adoption are more likely to follow a hybrid model, with some resources centralized and others distributed. 3.?Risk Mitigation Organizations are increasingly addressing risks related to inaccuracy, cybersecurity, and intellectual property infringement. Larger organizations are more proactive in mitigating risks, particularly in cybersecurity and privacy. 4.?Adoption and Scaling Best Practices Few organizations are fully implementing best practices for gen AI adoption and scaling. Tracking well-defined KPIs and establishing clear roadmaps for AI adoption are among the most impactful practices. Larger organizations are more likely to follow these practices, such as creating dedicated teams for AI adoption and role-based training. 5.?Workforce Impact AI is shifting the skills organizations need, with high demand for data scientists, machine learning engineers, and AI compliance specialists. Many organizations are reskilling employees, and more reskilling is expected in the next three years. While some functions (e.g., service operations, supply chain) may see headcount reductions, others (e.g., software engineering, product development) may see increases. 6.?AI Use and Value Creation AI use continues to climb, with 78% of organizations using AI in at least one business function, up from 55% a year earlier. Gen AI is most commonly used in marketing and sales, product development, and service operations. Organizations are seeing revenue increases and cost reductions in business units using gen AI, though enterprise-wide EBIT impact remains limited. 7.?C-Level Engagement C-level executives are leading in personal use of gen AI, with 53% regularly using it at work. Executives are focusing on transformative, end-to-end solutions rather than incremental use cases. 8.?Future Outlook The report emphasizes the importance of ambitious, transformative thinking for long-term competitive advantage. As AI becomes more embedded in organizations, leadership will shift focus to impact monitoring and talent development. The survey included 1,491 participants from 101 countries, representing a wide range of industries, company sizes, and regions. #AI

Live from London at the Ably event a summary of my keynote speech for A guy with a scarf and Realtime Fan Engagement: ??? ?? ?? Untangling Fan Engagement in 2025: Beyond Engagement to Value Creation ? ?? Drawing from conversations with industry leaders and insights from innovative implementations across sports, the piece examines how fan engagement is evolving from mass broadcasting to personalized, real-time experiences that foster true loyalty. Some key insights: 1?? Premium communities generate 3x more revenue per user than broad-based approaches 2?? Strategic content moments drive 40% higher retention than constant updates 3?? Owned platforms consistently outperform third-party channels in value creation 4?? Real-time experiences, when thoughtfully implemented, can transform passive viewers into active participants The future belongs to organizations that can build meaningful relationships with fans, not just accumulate followers. As I concluded in my keynote: "The organizations that win in 2025 won't be those with the most followers or the biggest databases – they'll be those who build the most valuable fan relationships." Special thanks to Ably for hosting this inspiring gathering of sports and media innovators. The conversations and insights shared there shaped much of this piece. Also, it was fun to meet so many colleagues and friends from the industry, good vibes and chats after the event. Matthew O'Riordan Madeleine Quinn Hannah Smallman Alex Buhaenko Jodie Pinkowski Faye McClenahan Chiavazza Alberto Stephen Cockett Steve Boulton Richard Craig-McFeely Sophie Thomas Christopher Dix Andrew Hall Peter Cassidy Andrea Fanfani Dave Lipp #SportsBusiness #FanEngagement #DigitalTransformation #SportsTech #Innovation

5?? Inside VAR: 5 Things You Never Knew About Football's Most Advanced Officiating Technology ? In case you didn't know: VAR = Video Assistant Referee As I was at SPOBIS GmbH in Hamburg I had the occasion to interview the team at Sportec Solutions AG operating the VAR system for DFL Deutsche Fu?ball Liga and Major League Soccer (amongst others) and was demoed their system in place at the Tech park that was part of the event in Hamburg. Thanks to Christian Holzer and Tom Janicot, plus Matthias Engelhardt from vieww GmbH . I also was able to listen to two German referee explaining the evolution of VAR and their experience: Patrick Ittrich and Harm Osmers. ?? Mobile Command Centers: Every Bundesliga match has its own high-tech van processing real-time data from pitch to screen ??? Dual-Screen Magic: VARs use split-screen technology - live action above, 4-angle instant replay below for precise decisions ?? Smart Communication: VARs hear everything on pitch but use push-to-talk technology to avoid disrupting match flow ?? Instant Replay Power: Dedicated operators can zoom, rewind, and analyze frame-by-frame in real-time for maximum accuracy ?? Future is Here: New cloud-based VAR technology making professional-level officiating accessible to smaller leagues worldwide #SportsInnovation #FootballTechnology #VAR #SportsTech #Innovation #Bundesliga #MLS Another deep dive from A guy with a scarf - subscribe to the newsletter for more.

?? ? Key insights from SPOBIS 2024: How US Soccer is Revolutionizing Sports Data ???? I moderated a panel with the gotha of US Football: MLS, NWSL, and Sportec Solutions, discussing how American soccer is setting new standards in sports technology and data control. Here's what I learned: ? MLS has achieved sub-second data latency in stadiums (faster than most European leagues!) ? NWSL's rapid growth includes $100M expansion fees for new teams ? VAR implementation in MLS shows surprisingly high fan acceptance ? Centralized data operations and ownership are becoming crucial for future fan experiences Key takeaway: While European football traditionally led the sport's evolution, US soccer leagues are pioneering new approaches to data ownership and technological innovation. As Chris Schlosser (MLS) noted, "All the other American leagues control their systems... This is one of the strange areas where European football is often well behind." Special thanks to: Christopher Schlosser (SVP, Emerging Ventures, MLS) Tatjana Haenni (Chief Sporting Director, NWSL) Christian Holzer (Managing Director, Sportec Solutions AG) Major League Soccer National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) DFL Deutsche Fu?ball Liga SPOBIS GmbH Stefan Schuster Mario Hanus Oscar Andrzej Ponti Ably Matthew O'Riordan Madeleine Quinn Hannah Smallman Realtime Fan Engagement A guy with a scarf Untangling AI #SportsInnovation #SoccerTechnology #SportsBusiness #MLS #NWSL #SPOBIS2024 #SportsTech #DataAnalytics What are your thoughts on the future of data in sports? Let's discuss in the comments! ?? P.S. DM me if you'd like to explore more about how leagues are transforming their data strategies.

?? Packing my bags to spend this week in Hamburg (Germany) at the SPOBIS Conference, will be on stage with football in the US and on the floor to feel the vibe for sportstech and fan engagement. Meet me there! ? ?? Football data in the US with MLS and NWSL How the ambitious US leagues leverage deeper sports data for their growth plans. Feb 6 at 1:55pm Hall Y2 ?? Moderator: Carlo De Marchis - A guy with a scarf? ??? Speakers: ? Christopher Schlosser, Senior Vice President, Emerging Ventures, Major League Soccer (MLS) ? Christian Holzer, Managing Director, Sportec Solutions AG ? Tatjana Haenni, Chief Sporting Director, National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Stefan Schuster SPOBIS GmbH Hendrik Weber Luccas Roznowicz DFL Deutsche Fu?ball Liga Realtime Fan Engagement Matthew O'Riordan Ably Gilles Domartini Cleeng

?? I just realized it's been two years since I started the “second part” of my long career (I’ve been at the intersection of sport, media, and technology since 1987). Although it sometimes feels like ages, it’s amazing how subjective our perception of time can be. ??♀? As I see many former colleagues going through big changes or announcing new roles these days, my mind bounces between reflecting on those first 35 years, these last two years as an advisor and “whatshouldIcallmyselfnow” (content creator, marketer, public speaker, boh???), and looking ahead to whatever comes next. Some considerations: 1?? I love the freedom of being a one-man band—especially the quick path from idea to execution. 2?? That random idea of “A guy with a scarf” has evolved into something far beyond what I first imagined. 3?? I do miss the direct product cycle: idea, design, build, launch, measure, improve. 4?? Being independent means people speak openly to me, and I learn a ton from that. 5?? My new career phase began just as the new AI wave was exploding, giving me fresh opportunities to experiment—much like I’ve done many times before. ?? While I'm currently collaborating with a few partners, I'm always open to discussing new roles or projects that could benefit from my experience, energy and brain power. ?? ?? Let me know. #sportstech #innovation #ai

?? Untangling AI: The AI Development Paradigm Just Shifted - DeepSeek's Game-Changing Breakthrough We don't know everything for now, so imagine this is written with a big IF TRUE in front. DeepSeek AI, a Chinese AI startup, is fundamentally challenging our assumptions about AI development costs and methodologies. The story captures a pivotal moment in AI history that tech legend Marc Andreessen calls "the Sputnik moment" for artificial intelligence. DeepSeek AI:?? Smart vs. Expensive: - DeepSeek built their AI model for $5.6M - Traditional models cost $100M-$1B - Meta announced $65B in AI investments ?? Expert Analysis: Featuring exclusive insights from my friend Shelly Palmer, CEO of The Palmer Group: "This is a mathematical solution to a hardware problem... they've actually written code that's more efficient than the code that's being used generally in the space, throughout the world." ?? Why It Matters: - Challenges the "brute force" approach to AI - Questions the need for massive data centers - Demonstrates the power of algorithmic efficiency - Open-source approach vs. proprietary systems ? The Space Race Parallel: Just like the famous NASA pen vs. Soviet pencil story, sometimes innovation isn't about spending more - it's about thinking differently. ?? Impact: As Palmer notes: "There's a possible future where algorithmic efficiency beats brute force computation." This could revolutionize how we approach AI development globally. #AI #Innovation #Technology #DeepSeek #FutureOfTech #AIInnovation #TechNews

?? ?? Ep. 49: Perplexity Sports: AI's First Major Play in Real-Time Sports Data With a mix of my two channels Realtime Fan Engagement and Untangling AI I want to bring your attention on the recently launched Perplexity Sports, in what, to my knowledge, is the first effort specific to sports (it's a url for NFL) from a major AI platform. I'll be honest - I'm not a Perplexity Pro subscriber. Like I mentioned in my video, my initial experiences with their platform weren't compelling enough. But their move into sports? That's interesting. I decided to dig deeper and wrote a detailed analysis looking at what this means for the sports data landscape. While everyone's been focused on generative AI and chatbots, Perplexity quietly made what might be the first assertive move into sports by a major AI platform. The most intriguing part? They're approaching it differently than Google. Instead of just throwing AI at existing sports data, they've partnered with Tako for specialized knowledge cards and built something that feels purpose-built for sports fans. It looks like the sports data source is Stats Perform. Is it a major game changing experience? Not really for now, but they will add more features and sport leagues soon - let's stay tuned. ?? Want the full breakdown? Watch the video below Would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you've tried Perplexity Sports. Are we seeing the future of sports data, or is this just another AI experiment? National Football League (NFL) Matthew O'Riordan #AI #SportsTech #Perplexity #SportsData #SportsBusiness #TechnologyInnovation