French Open deploys AI to protect athletes from online abuse

The mass legalization of sports gambling around the world has led to an uptick in the cases of online abuse directed against professional athletes, who have been increasingly the target of social media bullying and even death threats. The cause for this is that some punters end up losing too much money on individual games, which prompts them to blame the players, undermining their confidence in the process.

Now, the hosts of the French Open want to change that with the help of an artificial intelligence solution which is designed to protect players from social media abuse. The French Tennis Federation (FFT) has taken matters into its own hands, utilizing the technology which is aptly called "Bodyguard."

Essentially, Bodyguard has been filtering abusive comments on social media that are directed at participants and players, or the social media accounts of events that it has been told to protect.

Bodyguard monitors Twitter, TikTok and Instagram and it works in real-time, analyzing responses in less than 200 milliseconds. The FFT has decided to step up its efforts in shielding players, referring to the serious level of abuse that was emanating from social media networks. The efforts that have gone into training the AI are notable as well.

In an official statement, the FFT has outlined the work that has gone into creating Bodyguard and the collective effort put in to make sure that the solution works as intended. The organizaiton said:

"A team of linguists creates word patterns that enable the system to be updated in real-time according to what is posted on social media, in order to generate a more contextual analysis."

The technology is not going to just be limited to the French Open, though, as the solution will be deployed to protect players throughout all official Roland Garros and FFT events and social media accounts. Players may also opt into Bodyguard to benefit from an additional level of security during events so that they can fully focus on playing the game and not worrying about online bullies.

Commenting on this new technology and its deployment, FFTDirector Caroline Flaissier said that the organization was fully committed to protecting the mental health of players. Flaissier commended the progress made in safeguarding players during tournaments and ushering in a new age of shielding professional athletes from cyberbullying.

Sports gambling has been gaining momentum, with more people getting involved daily. However, this has created its own risks – not just for the integrity of the game, as demonstrated by recent scandals involving colleges in the United States, but also for the players who may be on the receiving end of undeserved criticism that often goes beyond the civil tone.

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