## Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly commonplace in many industries, and the football industry is no exception. Liverpool FC are at the forefront of applying AI technology in the football world, and are partnering with Google-owned AI company DeepMind to develop an automated video assistant coach.
## AI in Football
Football has been slower to embrace AI than other sports due to its ever-changing picture and the sheer number of variables involved. However, AI is beginning to be able to predict what players may do in particular situations, which could help coaches make tactical decisions. AI is also being used to identify potential transfer targets, and to predict how a tactical change or substitution would affect a match.
## Ghosting
One key way in which AI can be used in football is through ‘ghosting’. This involves training a model on data about a specific team and lineup to predict how its players will react in a particular situation. For example, if a long ball is knocked into the right-hand channel against Manchester City, Kyle Walker will run in a particular direction, while John Stones may do something else. This technique allows alternative trajectories to be overlaid on what actually happened, like in a video game.
## Liverpool FC and DeepMind
Liverpool FC have provided DeepMind with data on every Premier League game played between 2017 and 2019, and the two companies are working together to develop an automated video assistant coach. While Jurgen Klopp’s style of football may, at times, seem chaotic, the chaos is planned. AI is on its way to being able to make sense of organised chaos and work out how to prevent or bypass it.
## Conclusion
Football teams are unlikely to ever rely solely on the advice of computers. However, as AI technology advances, it could make a manager’s job easier by providing predictions and guidance. Liverpool FC are at the forefront of applying AI technology in the football world, and are partnering with Google-owned AI company DeepMind to develop an automated video assistant coach.