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- AceAI initially supporting NBA and NFL wagers
- Product currently only available to approximately 1% of FanDuel’s customer base
- FanDuel plans to expand platform to more sports and develop more features
US gambling giant FanDuel has launched a new generative artificial intelligence (AI) chat feature that provides users with data and insights to analyse and place bets.
The ‘AceAI’ platform, which is built directly into the FanDuel Sportsbook app, is being billed as the first generative AI sports betting chat experience in the gambling industry.
The product is currently available for National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL) wagers, but FanDuel plans to expand to more sports in the future.
Customers can use AceAI by typing or speaking requests into the chat option on the app. AceAI will then help customers find bets, construct parlays and research relevant stats on teams or players.
For instance, a user could ask AceAI to build a parlay with LeBron James contributing a certain number of points and assists in a game where the Los Angeles Lakers go on to lose, rather than having to do it themselves. A bettor could also use the platform to find out James’ average points per game over the last month.
The platform is currently only available to approximately one per cent of FanDuel’s customer base. While the company has opted to integrate AceAI slowly, the product could be updated to include in-game betting, wagers on Next Gen Stats and cross-sport parlays.
FanDuel has not yet determined if it will roll out AceAI to the vast majority of its customers by the start of the NFL season in September.
“As the leading sportsbook we think there’s an opportunity for us to set the pace on what experiences should look like for customers,” Jon Sadow, vice president of product transformation and innovation at FanDuel, told Forbes.
“We are in a position as a market leader to have a tremendous amount of data that we can actually put into customers’ hands that empower them to make educated decisions.”
Meanwhile, as sports organisations continue to lean into AI, golf’s PGA Tour has announced it will debut text-based AI shot commentary at this week’s Players Championship.
Utilising machine learning and generative AI in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the new Tourcast AI commentary feature, which is available on the PGA Tour’s app and website, will provide written context for every shot for every player during PGA Tour events.
As well as describing every shot, the AI commentary will give context for what that shot means for each player based on their current performance and upcoming shot, plus how it relates to the broader competition.
“Our goal has always been to provide as best we can to make sure every player gets coverage,” said Scott Gutterman, PGA Tour senior vice president of digital and broadcast technologies.
“Generative AI is a tool we can use to scale across our events to create content based on the performance of any player at any given point of time.”
SportsPro says…
AI is changing the way the sports industry operates both on and off the field of play, from content creation to player recruitment. Yet, the vast potential of the technology is tempered by ethical and practical concerns over its implementation.
FanDuel’s use of AI will look to simplify and speed up the betting experience for its customers. Building a convoluted parlay, for example, may now only take seconds rather than minutes. Fans are also set to benefit from easy access to data on teams and players, enabling faster decisions on bets.
Ultimately, FanDuel wants to streamline the wagering process. But critics of AceAI will argue it could fuel problem gambling and make it even harder for punters to stop betting when they’re on a losing streak. In addition, AI relies on access to information to be useful and reliable. If certain data on a player is off limits, then an AceAI user may not get the full picture when they’re thinking of placing a bet.
FanDuel has said that responsible gambling practices are part of AceAI, with the platform directing users to the FanDuel responsible gambling page if it notices comments such as “I’m looking for a winner tonight”. Over time, AceAI may also inform FanDuel on whether a customer susceptible to compulsive gambling is approaching a spending limit.
It is still unclear when or if this new offering will be universally available via the FanDuel app. Nevertheless, AceAI is the latest example of a US gambling firm looking to get an edge on its rivals by experimenting with new technology to provide unique user experiences.
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