Paris, the Olympics of AI... and sustainability!

The Paris 2024 Olympics have also fallen under the spell of AI, but with a conscientious and planned-out approach. Months ago, the IOC defined a strategy for AI: the Olympic AI Agenda, developed by a working group made up of specialists, tech companies, (Intel, among others) and athletes. 

Here are some of the specific AI applications that will be used during the Olympics:

• Support for judges to avoid possible human error and bias.
• Real-time monitoring of social media for hateful comments that will be removed.
• Immersive experiences and augmented reality (via the official Olympic Games app and official Snapchat account, as well as at competition venues and on city streets).
• Automatic generation of highlight videos and athlete motion tracking technology (using neural networks).
• AthleteGPT, a chatbot with GenAI RAG technology to assist athletes by providing real-time information, help getting around the venues, and access to sports regulations, anti-doping rules, and other regulations.

Meanwhile, such a major event cannot overlook the environmental impact it causes, which is why sustainability has become one of its main goals. The IOC is ambitious in this regard, aiming to cut emissions by half compared to previous editions. 

The starting methodology for this is the ARO principle, based on avoiding, reducing, and then offsetting emissions. The idea is that all emissions that cannot be avoided will be offset through projects with environmental and social benefits. In fact, the plan is not only to neutralize the CO2 produced but also to compensate for more than what is emitted. Undoubtedly, the challenge is enormous. 

And here, too, technology has specific contributions to make:

• Efficient energy management through real-time data capture systems (also using neural networks). This technology will make it possible to optimize energy use during the Games, contributing to the sustainability of the event and providing valuable information for the planning of future Olympics. Specifically, a digital twin developed by Intel and Atos and using a combination of advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, and big data, will monitor energy consumption and make it possible to optimize energy use, simulate scenarios, plan future needs, prevent failures, and more.
• Climate Coach for Events, a free tool to assess and reduce the carbon footprint of sporting events in France. Based on the sources of emissions, it provides a customized series of measures to implement.

It’s clear that these will be the Olympics of AI, and hopefully the most sustainable ones as well.

We’ll be honest: we at GMV, like the IOC, have wholeheartedly embraced AI, understanding that making AI part of the strategy of any given organization is not optional but rather an absolute necessity if we are to stay competitive and address the demands of today’s market.

Author: Jesús Mariano Pascual