Major League Soccer (MLS) is under fire for publishing AI-generated match summaries.
The AI produces a few paragraphs that describe what happened in a game. The first and last lines of each story note that they are “Created by MLS Generative AI,” and a disclaimer says, “This story was automatically generated based on match data. Content has not been reviewed by editorial staff.” Perhaps aware of potential errors, MLS offers a feedback form at the end of each article.
The league published two AI-generated match recaps on Saturday night within 10 minutes of each other: Inter Miami CF versus Atlanta United (9:34 p.m. Eastern) and Orlando City SC versus the Vancouver Whitecaps (9:43 p.m. Eastern). A third from LA Galaxy versus FC Dallas from the same day appears in Google search results, but the MLS seems to have taken it down.
On Reddit, critics called the AI wrapups “gross.” Another added, “The fact [that] it wasn’t even reviewed by a person before being published is mad.” At least one person, however, argued that the blurbs are “the best application” for large language models.
Some say the new product is an affront to authentic sports journalism. “This sucks. A lot,” says soccer journalist Tom Bogart. “I know from my own experience doing it—it is NOT expensive to pay humans to do this. I got invaluable development working there. As did countless others.”
“That AI-produced garbage is simply unacceptable and a disservice to soccer writers everywhere,” one person commented.
The writing does leave something to be desired. The Vancouver-Orlando article, for example, begins with: “Orlando started brightly.” Brightly?
Sports Illustrated laid off nearly its entire editorial staff in January 2024 following accusations that it was publishing AI-generated articles, Front Office Sports reported at the time.
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The MLS has been working to incorporate AI technologies across the franchise. It updated the MLS app to feature more personalized, AI-generated content in February, using LLMs, Sports Business Journal reports. In July, the league hosted a technology showcase featuring eight sports-focused companies that utilize AI to capture game metrics and dub matches into any language, among other applications.
The league is “redefining the intersection of sports and technology by actively piloting innovations that are transforming fan engagement, athlete performance, match officiating, and content production.” (Emphasis ours.)
We’ve reached out to the MLS for more details and will update this story if we hear back.
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