Artificial Intelligence is something that society has learned to not just live with but to coexist with on a day-to-day basis. Something that I have had to teach myself is that AI comes in many different forms such as Chat GPT to the different algorithms we see and experiences on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram reels. While AI changes mostly how we learn and work with ourselves and others, the biggest change that it has made is how we communicate. When understanding the pros and cons of a technological advancement like AI it is important to really understand and evaluate the cons such as the ethical concerns. As of now, I have not fully decided on what I want to major in but one of my interests and possible pathos is sports marketing. With that being said, I am really interested in discovering how AI will affect my possible job.
(Picture I took at the World Cup game in Dallas)
The biggest advancement that AI aids individuals in the sports marketing firm with is timeliness. Allowing multiple and various advertisements for different sport brands, social media content for sports teams, and even how brands and professional athletes are interacting with their fan base to boost likability. The thing I find the most interesting about how AI can positively affect fan engagement and genuine fan connection is by using AI to understand what type of things, content wise, that the audience wants to see. That alone will give sports marketing individuals more time to put all their effort into something that they know for sure will grab the attention of the audience/fans.
This, however, could seriously backfire on the sports marketers. Will they be relying on AI too much? What if AI gives them the wrong advice and what AI claims will do well with the audience doesn’t end up doing well? Then how much time will the sports marketers have wasted on creating something they put all their time into because they were too trusting with AI? These are the types of concerns that must be thought about before becoming allies with AI.
Leading into the ethical concerns, I believe that the most dangerous thing that AI messed with is the possibility of important and specific jobs being erased. AI could start to become better at jobs such as creating memos or scripts, that make corporations and businesses start to wonder if they need as many job titles or employees as they have. This is extremely dangerous for the sports world because sports are so reliant on creativity, human connection, and most importantly emotion. The best thing that AI can do is help create blueprints and inspire us with ideas but at the end of the day it cannot fully erase the human role.
All these concerns lead to what the solution needs to be. In my eyes the easiest answer is government regulation. To ensure that technology still advances at a steady pace and we all as individuals get to freely experience it, the government must create boundaries that will protect us from harm. The NIST has been working on some advancements and developments that make companies think about the facts, credibility, and transparency of AI before relying on them.
The next developments that have been being made are solutions to environmental concerns. The IEA has been studying how much energy it takes to use AI, and how it is only expected to increase how much electricity is used with time and new advancements. I and many others must forget that even though AI is happening on our screen, it still physically affects our environment and in negative ways.
We have a duty to ourselves to be critical thinkers; however, the government also has a responsibility to warn and protect us. It is amazing the amount of time and effort AI can save for people in the workforce such as sports marketers, but it is important to not only look at those factors but to really evaluate those ethical and environmental concerns as well.
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