Episode Notes

Artificial intelligence is impacting many industries, and sports is no exception. How can AI help figure skating judging be more accurate? What other benefits could it have for skaters, coaches and viewers? My guest today is Craig Buntin, a Canadian Olympic pairs skater and the founder of Sportlogiq. Sportlogiq is a company at the cutting edge of this technology and has been working with the ISU to explore the feasibility of AI in figure skating. While Craig wasn’t able to discuss the details of his work with the ISU, I’m very glad to have him help us understand the intersection of technology and skating.

According to the May 2023 ISU financial report, the objectives under consideration were: “helping Figure Skating Officials to apply the rules correctly and giving them the technical support to evaluate the performed elements in the fairest and most impartial way possible, offering Skaters and Coaches measurement and analysis tools to evaluate and improve their performance, as well as keep track of the work done and goals achieved, and expanding the multi-media audience, allowing the sport to be enjoyed on different platforms and connecting the key players and their teams with the public and fans by presenting instantaneous statistics/graphics.” The initial proof-of-concept phase concluded these objectives were achievable. However, the conclusions also revealed that “ such projects would require a substantial budget, not only for implementation for ISU Figure Skating Events but also use by the ISU Members. The ISU Council is therefore currently exploring whether more cost-effective solutions could be available.” Even if the implementation of AI isn’t imminent, it’s worth understanding what it is, and how it could impact the sport in the future.

Transcript

You can learn more at sportlogiq.com and can follow Craig on Twitter @craigbuntin.

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