AFL demanded that Sportsbet remove AI videos featuring players — The Guardian
In Australia, the Australian Football League (AFL) demanded that its official betting partner Sportsbet stop using well-known players in artificial intelligence-generated social media content without their permission. The company was also instructed to remove AI videos in which athletes allegedly recreated lines from films, television series or speeches, The Guardian reports.
Videos on Instagram
The videos had age restrictions and were created to increase audience engagement with Sportsbet on social media and attract new customers. After an inquiry from Guardian Australia, the betting company removed the videos from its Instagram page.
In one video, AI depicted former Brisbane Lions player Lachie Neale receiving an award at his new club, Collingwood, and recreating a 2018 speech by American rapper Snoop Dogg when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Another video showed Brisbane Lions player Will Ashcroft, who was attributed a line from the television series Ozark. Sportsbet also created AI content featuring images of Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell and former North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson.
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Players Association's position
The AFL Players Association, which represents athletes, sent the league a letter late last week expressing concerns about these materials. The organization said that AI images of players cannot be used without their approval and called for the content to be removed and for the practice to stop.
The association also believes that the videos breached the collective agreement between players and the AFL, which limits the ways in which athletes' images may be used by the league's partners. The agreement for 2023–2027 allows Sportsbet to use players' photos and videos without separate permission under certain conditions, but contains no mention of artificial intelligence.
An AFL spokesperson said the league would continue working with partners on the use of AI content as the technology develops. Sportsbet said it takes partners' feedback into account and is working with the AFL on the further use of AI in its content.
