Sky Sport Italy Summit 2024: Exploiting the transformative power of GenAI
Carlo De Marchis, known as ‘a guy with a scarf’, made a welcome return to this year’s Sky Sport Italy Summit, held on 27 June at the Milan Santa Giulia headquarters of Sky Italia.
Alongside him, Vincenzo Lagattolla, head of creative hub at Sky Italia, provided original perspectives on the impact of generative AI in sports media.
Moderated by Monica Peruzzi of Sky Sport, the two experts began by comparing the AI revolution to Gutenberg’s printing press, highlighting its potential to democratise content creation on a large scale.
“New technologies will emerge, but the ability to tell a story, which is the core of our business, will become even more crucial”
De Marchis, recognisable by his iconic scarf, emphasised how AI is redefining the landscape of digital content production, particularly live sports production. His clear invitation to everyone was to make use of the available tools to better understand the potential and challenges presented by this technology. His enthusiasm and advocacy for AI tools highlighted a significant shift in the industry, promoting the adoption and experimentation of AI at various levels to enhance content quality, distribution and audience engagement.
Lagattolla supported this vision, focusing on AI’s transformative capabilities while underscoring the enduring and unique importance of human creativity. Both speakers articulated that although AI can significantly enhance content creation and production, it cannot replace the central human element in storytelling and emotional engagement in sports journalism.
AI and ethics
The discussion also addressed ethical issues, stressing the imperative for media professionals to adapt and stay ahead in an evolving digital landscape. The ethical use of AI, transparency in AI-generated content, and maintaining journalistic integrity were highlighted as vital considerations.
This engaging talk painted a picture of a future where AI serves as a powerful tool that enhances rather than replaces human storytelling, presenting a harmonious fusion of technology and creativity in the sports media world. The session, among other insights, left the audience with a clear message: the future of sports journalism will be defined by those who can skilfully combine the capabilities of AI with the irreplaceable human touch.
De Marchis also noted: “The tension between digital creators and the media eases, and the new formats born in the digital world are absorbed by the media world where storytelling adopts these new languages: it will be interesting to see how the media landscape will continue to change under these powerful influences.”
Aside from AI, the reassessment of skills was also explored. Summarising, Lagattolla said: “Even in the future, the idea will be more important than the technique. New technologies will emerge, but the ability to tell a story, which is the core of our business, will become even more crucial.”
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