Are you embracing uncertainty?
One of the most intriguing Sports-tech and leadership learnings so far in 2025 has been the general apprehension with which organisations are willing to reimagine and invest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the New Sports Economy. The magnitude of AI-powered change shouldn't be underestimated and is not disappearing. AI is not just another "incremental" improvement or yet another technology phase on the Gartner Hype Cycle - it's a genuine transformative change. In the same way that the year 2000 is remembered as the birth of the modern Internet, the year 2025 will likely be heralded as the birth of modern AI businesses and a key inflection point. AI technologies are advancing at an unprecedented pace, leading to both excitement and apprehension about what the future holds for how we automate, personalise, and create value within our organisations. Adaptation is ubiquitous and critical if we want to reshape sports, boost efficiency, and improve sustainability.
Disrupt or be disrupted
Creating an AI roadmap is a great starting point for leaders. For sports organisations, major events, and governments - it's about using AI to re-engineer the athlete experience, fan experience, broadcast, front-office and back-office delivery, mass participation, and next-generation sports experiences through the lens of AI-powered innovations. For digital-first companies in Sports, Entertainment, Gaming, and Health, the new world of AI means it's all about execution and validation, rather than just great ideas. We are beginning to see a new breed of forward-thinking organisations emerge - ones that are not only using AI as a tool but are building entire business models around it. AI is creating new ways of conducting market research- instant data analysis, real-time customer insights, and immediate testing. Surveys, focus groups, and months of data gathering are now happening within days. AI can handle general knowledge with remarkable ease - deep specialised expertise is your only moat. The best sports organisations are developing complete systems for turning ideas into AI-powered businesses and new divisions. We need an action plan to address the people, process, and cultural impacts of AI automation.
Build Your AI Roadmap
XV recommends building your own AI roadmap for the journey ahead—for both your organisation and yourself. The future is undeniably AI-powered. Our ability to harness this transformative force wisely will determine the shape of the world to come. From PowerPoint pitch decks, content generation, predictive maintenance, note-taking, and searching databases to recommending great products - let’s use 2025 to begin and accelerate our AI journey.
