Dentsu, the Tokyo-based parent of Dentsu Aegis
Network, Wednesday announced the deployment of an artificial intelligence program capable of predicting the outcome of sports competitions.
The agency holding company said the
program, dubbed “AI11,” was used to predict the outcome of a soccer game in real-time utilizing actual match footage.
The company described it as “an innovative and
fund spectator experience,” but the implications of accurately predicting the outcomes of live sporting events could have unforeseen consequences for ratings, as well as betting on events whose
outcomes are known before they happen.
The program was first introduced as a pilot test at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2019, an international soccer tournament held Dec. 10-18
in Busan, South Korea.
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“This program was developed through deep learning, for which approximately 480 past matches including the ones from the EAFF E-1 Championship were used
to predict match results, analyzing elements such as ball and player movements, combined with Team Twelve's match analysis method,” Dentsu said in a statement, adding, “Real-time match
prediction was provided during the 2019 E-1 tournament, and this viewing experience was offered on TV and online.”