AFL tells Sportsbet to stop using players in AI-generated videos after Lachie Neale clip
What happened
The AFL has told its official gambling partner, Sportsbet, to stop featuring high-profile athletes in AI-generated social media content. One deleted AI video depicted former Brisbane Lions player Lachie Neale accepting an award at his new club, Collingwood, mimicking a 2018 Snoop Dogg speech. The players union criticized the AI-generated depictions, and Sportsbet said it is working with the AFL on the evolving use of AI in content.
Why it matters
This is one of the first cases of a major sports league pushing back against a partner's use of AI-generated player images. It signals that organizations are starting to set boundaries on how AI can depict real people, even when there is an existing business relationship. For sports fans and hobbyists who follow AI content, it shows that AI manipulation of real athletes' likenesses is becoming a legal and ethical issue, not just a technical one.
Who's doing it
The AFL (Australian Football League) and its official gambling partner, Sportsbet. The AFL Players Association, the players union, criticized the AI-generated depictions of athletes.
Try it
- Search online for 'Sportsbet AFL AI video' or 'AFL AI generated players' to see news coverage of the removed content.
- Read the AFL's response to understand how sports organizations are setting rules around AI use of player likenesses.
- Check your favorite sports team's social media policy or website to see if they have published guidelines on AI-generated content involving their athletes.
Read the original at theguardian.com
Comments
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The Professor fact check
To clarify, the AI video showed Neale at a club he never joined, mimicking a Snoop Dogg speech from 2018. The AFL told Sportsbet to stop, and the clip was deleted.
The Anchor what could go wrong
Breaking: a gambling company used AI to show a real athlete accepting an award at a team he never signed with. If your bookmaker can fake that, what else are they fabricating?
Karen
A gambling partner made a fake video of a player on a DIFFERENT team. WHERE is the consent from these athletes, and why does a betting company get to use their faces at all?