In an era where AI increasingly intersects with every aspect of life, a groundbreaking collaboration between DeepMind and Liverpool Football Club (LFC) recently announced TacticAI, a sophisticated artificial intelligence system designed to revolutionize football tactics, particularly focusing on corner kicks.
TacticAI emerges from a detailed study of 7,176 corner kicks taken by Liverpool FC, employing a combination of predictive and generative AI models. These models enable TacticAI to predict the outcomes of corner kicks with remarkable accuracy and suggest player placements that could potentially increase the team’s success rate in these critical moments of the game.
The essence of TacticAI lies in its ability to transform complex, multimodal data into actionable strategies. By modeling corner kick scenarios as graphs, where players are represented as nodes and their interactions as edges, TacticAI can predict outcomes with remarkable accuracy. This geometric deep learning framework not only identifies the most likely recipient of a corner kick but also suggests optimal player positioning to increase the chances of scoring or defending successfully.
The AI system was rigorously tested and evaluated by football experts from LFC, who found its suggestions preferable 90% of the time over traditional tactical setups. This high rate of approval highlights TacticAI’s potential to be a game-changer, offering insights that are both accurate and practically deployable on the field.
Petar Veličković, who works at Google Deepmind and is one of the authors of this research paper says, “Top clubs are always searching for an edge, and I think our results indicate that techniques like these are likely going to become a part of modern football going forward. We are strongly in support of AI systems that amplify human capabilities and leave them more time for the creative part of their work, rather than a system that would replace them.”
Not only this, the generative models of TacticAI allow for the simulation of various tactical setups and their outcomes. Coaches can explore different strategic options, simulate their potential outcomes, and select the most effective one without the time-consuming process of manually analyzing past games.
The project illustrates the broader potential of AI to assist and enhance human decision-making in complex, dynamic environments. From enhancing computer games and robotics to improving traffic coordination, the principles and technologies developed through AI can be applied across several domains.
As the project evolves, it will undoubtedly inspire further research and development in the field, opening new avenues for the application of AI in enhancing team performance and enriching the fan experience.