AI prominence in Super Bowl ads ignites conversation about its role in women’s sports

The GIST: Super Bowl (SB) ads are often a pulse check on trends in the year to come, at least from an advertising perspective — after all, these are the companies betting big on reaching the most Americans possible in a single spot. And this year, many SB ads featured AI companies and some were even created by AI, although a majority of SB viewers didn’t like them.

• AI bias may reinforce gender disparities in media coverage, but AI–powered tools have empowered women athletes as content creators and assisted women’s leagues in their workflows as AI companies turn to women’s sports to showcase products. Let’s explore AI’s good and bad as it rapidly shapes women’s sports. Big data, big questions.

The algorithms: Because AI platforms are always trawling the Internet to inform their models, they have the potential to reinforce human bias in media: Women are empirically referenced less in machine learning. In sports, algorithms based on historical engagement may highlight men’s sports more often, making women’s sports especially vulnerable.

The creators: However, AI has empowered content creators without access to larger marketing budgets or brand support, allowing them to star in their own high-level content. In the best cases, it allows athletes to become a “one-stop shop,” with AI being optimized to personalize engagement and find the most aligned brand opportunities.

• Women’s football star Lois Cook created a series of her own commercials using AI, tagging relevant brands to showcase her ideas and share what’s possible. The GIST also promoted AI-powered editing tools in its creator-focused Adobe Express activation this weekend.

Zooming out: As many SB ads suggested, responsible AI can simplify workflows with an unprecedented capacity for task-completion and content generation. Despite its current risks, AI is shaping the future, and the companies creating these tools recognize that women’s sports is an ideal place for cutting-edge tech implementation.

• Last year, ChatGPT entered its first-ever sports partnership with Indian cricket’s Women’s Premier League, illustrating how AI companies are documenting global sports trends and growth opportunities.

• Leagues like Athletes Unlimited have been open about integrating AI into workflows, and for AI platforms like Vatic AI and Price.com, women’s sports leagues and their athletes are the ideal way to showcase their products. Watch this space.