Artificial Intelligence could be set to replace countless jobs across the globe, including ring girls as a breakthrough in technology means promoters could turn to generative images to replace influencers on social media.
That puts the likes of Sydney Thomas, who found fame at Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson on November 15, at risk of pursuing their modelling careers as well as threatening the likes of Paige Spiranac and Olivia Dunne.
And the creator of Lily Hayes, who developed her into one of the first successful AI influencers, suspects ring girls could be one of the first frontiers to fall to the tech at esteemed venues such as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas or Madison Square Gardens in New York.
“Technology is moving so fast and sports organisations, who are inherently innovative, are beginning to embrace AI Influencers,” Hayes’ creator told The Daily Star. “Lily has built an incredible fanbase over the past 12 months.
“And boxing is a really exciting opportunity for her to break into the mainstream. Ring Girls have always been a massive part of boxing, but the interesting thing about AI Influencers becoming Ring Girls is fans can actually connect with them.
“Online, 24/7, and in multiple languages in the lead up to, during, and after the event. There’s some big fights touted for 2025, including Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua at Wembley or in Riyadh so we’d love to get Lily on that card.”
AI tech breaks into professional sports
According to data from Fanvue, Hayes can rake in up to $25,000 per month despite not actually being a real person.
Advancements in AI images since 2020 have allowed the creations to resemble people accurately, with carefully customized features and assets to appeal broadly.
The technology is also allowing AI to score fights too. Tyson Fury‘s contest with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 featured an AI judge for the first ever time, although its verdict didn’t count to the unanimous decision win for Usyk.
“Fanvue is the platform AI Influencers join to build massive fanbases and monetise their content online,” a spokesperson for Fanvue said, as per The Daily Star. “It can help kickstart their digital careers and quickly open up opportunities with brands and organisations who are looking to innovate with AI Influencers and connect with fans.
“Appealing to Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha is the next big challenge for sporting events and marketers more broadly – and AI Influencers are essentially a new marketing channel for them to be able do that.
“We’ve recently seen the exciting possibilities of AI Influencers in Formula 1, with Aston Martin creating an AI clone of Fernando Alonso to reach new demographics of fans – and we’re predicting a lot more of this type of innovation in sport in 2025.”
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