Hi, I’m Tina, founder of Endurance Sportswire. With my latest newsletter AI Sporstwire, I’ve merged my passion for AI with my background in sports business news to spotlight the latest AI advancements in sports and fitness.

In today’s email:

• AI art sells for over $1M

• An AI tool and a tip

• Case study on how AI can be used to boost support for your event

• An AI running app just raised over $1.9M and other AI sports news

• AI sports art challenge

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News Bytes

A portrait of the British mathematician Alan Turing, created by a humanoid robot powered by artificial intelligence, sold at auction on Thursday for nearly $1.1 million.

Social network X is testing a free version of its AI chatbot Grok, previously only available to paying users, in certain regions such as New Zealand.

OpenAI's ChatGPT rejected over 250,000 requests to generate images of 2024 U.S. presidential candidates due to concerns about the potential spread of misinformation through generative artificial intelligence technology.

OpenAI just made it easier to find ChatGPT by snagging the domain "chat.com," for a reported $1.55M. This move, along with their new AI-powered search engine, hints that OpenAI might be stepping up its game to take on Google.

🧰 Tools and Tips

• Having an in person team meeting? The Sona app will record, transcribe and provide AI summaries and chat right from your mobile phone and other devices.

• Prompts are sometimes hard to come up with. Try this: Say what the problem is and ask ChatGPT (or any other AI assistant) to give you a list of prompts to help you come up with the solution you need.

Case Study

Freddy Merckxury – How the Belgian Waffle Ride Uses AI to Boost Event Support

Monuments of Cycling, creators of the Belgian Waffle Ride (BWR), a notoriously challenging gravel event known for its grueling course, recently launched a custom GPT named Freddy Merckxury. Rather than offering a generic chatbot, BWR introduced Freddy, “the Belgian bad boy of cycling,” a gritty, no-nonsense virtual assistant who matches the race’s unapologetic personality. Participants can ask Freddy about everything from race-day logistics to course details, getting responses that are not only helpful but laced with Freddy’s entertaining and wry sense of humor.

Why It Matters

Freddy Merckxury illustrates how custom AI support can go beyond answering questions to actually enhance the brand experience. His tone and style reflect BWR’s identity, helping riders feel like they’re talking to someone who “gets” what the race is all about. For an endurance event, this approach offers multiple benefits: improved participant satisfaction, more efficient handling of repetitive queries, and a stronger connection to the race community.

Key Takeaways for Other Race Organizers and Brands

If you’re considering AI for support, Freddy Merckxury’s example offers the following insights:

1. Invest in a Tailored Persona: Instead of a generic bot, create an AI personality that mirrors your company or event’s culture - whether it’s serious, adventurous, or humorous - to help make interactions more engaging and meaningful.

2. Prioritize the FAQs: Make sure your AI is set up to handle the most frequent inquiries first. For BWR, that meant focusing Freddy’s knowledge base on essential race logistics and conditions, allowing him to field the majority of questions.

3. Include Real-Time Updates: Adding features like live weather or course alerts makes the AI especially useful on race day, reducing participant uncertainty.

4. Don’t Underestimate Tone and Language: Freddy’s success lies in his gritty, relatable tone, which fits BWR’s vibe. Define a language style that mirrors your brands identity to create a stronger connection with participants.

5. Test and Iterate: Use customer/participant feedback to refine responses and expand knowledge over time, making the AI a smarter, more effective tool.

6. Promote the AI as Part of the Experience: Position the AI as part of the overall event experience so participants know where to go for help well before race day.

You can read the full press release here.

AI in Sports and Fitness

🌲 New Barkleys Marathon competitor? Chinese robotics company Deep Robotics has debuted a new rugged high-speed quadruped robot that can jump, climb and back-flip its way across difficult terrain. The Lynx robot is equipped with all-terrain wheels and has been praised for its ability to navigate challenging environments. Check out the video here. 

🏃‍♀️ Coopah, an AI-powered run coaching app, has raised $1.9 million in a seed funding round backed by the London Marathon, venture capital firms, and top athletes. The London-based app offers personalized training plans, AI-powered feedback, and community support to help users improve their running performance. 

🚴 Hexis, an AI-powered nutrition platform, has partnered with EF Pro Cycling and Uno-X Mobility to deliver real-time, personalized fuelling plans, aiming to boost athlete performance and streamline nutrition strategies in endurance sports.

💪First AI-Powered Gym Launching in Early 2025. Fred Fitness, is touting itself as the first AI-driven gym. With a planned opening in Santa Monica in January 2025 and future plans for rapid expansion. Fred Fitness recently secured $200M in growth capital and a valuation of over $1 billion. 

🏋️ If you prefer to workout at home, a new AI-driven fitness machine, amp, stands out for its minimalist design. Estimated to be available in early 2025 starting around $1,800, amp utilizes advanced AI technology to personalize workouts in real-time.

AI Art

Send us your AI image here for next week’s issue using the prompt: Groovy 5K Race Poster

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