- Google DeepMind and Liverpool FC have collaborated to develop TacticAI, an AI system designed to provide soccer managers with insights into player formations and corner kick strategies, as detailed in a recent research paper.
- Over the past three years, DeepMind has worked closely with Liverpool FC, a prominent EPL team, to explore soccer tactics and develop a prototype AI software specifically tailored for soccer strategies.
- TacticAI offers coaches the ability to analyze corner kick scenarios, predict player movements, and optimize team setups, leveraging generative and predictive AI algorithms.
Google DeepMind and Liverpool FC have collaborated to create TacticAI, an artificial intelligence system that soccer managers can use to get insights about player sets and corner kicks, according to a research paper released on Tuesday.
AI soccer tactics
Over the past three years, DeepMind has collaborated with Liverpool FC, the top English Premier League (EPL) team, to investigate soccer tactics and create a prototype artificial intelligence soccer tactics software.
Coaches can determine which player is most likely to receive the ball on corner kicks, if a shot will be attempted, and how to modify player setup with the aid of TacticAI’s generative and predictive AI.
According to the report, human experts discovered that 90% of the time, TacticAI’s recommendations were chosen “over tactical setups seen in practice” and could not be distinguished from actual corners.
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TacticAI sets to transform soccer coaching
“Unlike thinking of football as only one big flow and not knowing what will happen, it can help us to approach it in a way that subdivides or categorizes football through AI,” stated Sudarshan Gopala Desican, head of intelligence at Atlanta in the Italian Serie League.
In the future, the researchers aim to integrate TacticAI into a text-based natural language interface for coaches to query and address on-field issues. They see its potential use during games to refine strategies but believe its main utility lies in the pre-match period, where it can save coaches time.
