The application of AI in sports such as Football, Tennis, Formula 1, and Cricket has become increasingly popular in recent years.

While statistics have always played a vital role in sports, Artificial Intelligence has significantly impacted the way they are played today.

Data analytics and artificial intelligence are now commonly used in a wide variety of sports, creating strategies for games and enhancing the level of engagement for the audience.

In this article, we discuss where and how AI is used in certain sports and what related degrees are available to international students who choose to study in the United Kingdom.

Artificial Intelligence refers to technology that emulates human tasks. This often involves using machine learning as the method in which to learn how to emulate these tasks from data.

How artificial intelligence is being used

in Cricket

Analysis within cricket has now reached an all-time high. AI is currently being used in the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), and the Duckworth Lewis method (employed to calculate target scores and reach outcomes in time-constricted matches).

in Football

The use of Goal Line Technology (GLT) and the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) have helped improve the efficiency of the game of football. These technologies provide additional support to referees so that they can make correct decisions during a game.

in Tennis

IBM’s revolutionary Watson AI technology has the ability to understand, learn, and interact. IBM Watson has been taught to recognize the best moments in a match, by reacting to crowd noise and sensing reactions, to even noticing the body language of the audience.

There are around 30 unique Artificial Intelligence courses available to study in the U.K. at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

During the 2020-21 academic year, degrees in Artificial Intelligence had one of the highest proportions of international student acceptances at UK universities.

With a wide variety of specialist degrees available to study at universities all over the UK, we have listed some of the unique courses below:

  • Control, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence
  • Artificial Intelligence for Games
  • Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
  • Human-Centred Big Data and Artificial Intelligence
  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
  • Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence
  • Advanced Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)
  • Artificial Intelligence with Cyber Security

Studying Artificial Intelligence in the U.K.

Considering the positive impact brought by the precision of technology into sports, AI is set to continue to shape the way sports are played, viewed, and marketed around the world for years to come.

To match the continuous advancement of technology, new degrees in and around the subject of AI are being introduced at UK universities every year.

Learn more about Artificial Intelligence and other related degrees below:

Artificial Intelligence

Learn more about the skills which students gain when studying for a degree in Artificial Intelligence on our dedicated course page.

Computer Science

State-of-the-art facilities and high standards of teaching make the U.K. a leading country for computer science teaching and research.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

Creative students with an interest in computer programming will find themselves well suited to a degree in Virtual and Augmented Reality.

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