EUGENE — Using technology during football games continues to expand at all levels of the sport, but Dan Lanning won’t be relying on artificial intelligence anytime soon.
Last week, the NFL and Microsoft announced they were expanding their partnership to upgrade the league’s sideline viewing systems with more than 2,500 custom-built Microsoft Surface Copilot tablets. The new devices, which are already in use, include AI capabilities that will allow coaches and players to analyze data quicker.
“This is not AI making decisions. It’s not AI informing decisions. What it really is, is AI allowing people to get at information faster with less manual intervention,” NFL deputy chief information officer Aaron Amendolia told CNBC.
FBS colleges began allowing the use of tablets in games last season, with the Big 12 partnering with Microsoft and the Big Ten, ACC and SEC partnering with Apple. The use of those devices is limited to in-game video review for coaches and players, for now.
Lanning wasn’t aware of the NFL’s expanded use of AI and while intrigued, is not going to be pushing for its use in college football just yet.
“I’m not using ChatGPT on my sideline to decide what we’re going to run,” Lanning said. “I’ll be interested in what kind of information that provides, but I don’t know if that’s made it to (college football). I think AI is something that is going to grow; it’ll continue to be a part of the game, probably as much as anything from a scouting standpoint. But it’s still the early days for us at our level there.”
Oregon (0-0) vs. Montana State (0-0)
When: Saturday, Aug. 30
Time: 1 p.m. PT
Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene
TV channel: Big Ten Network
Stream:DirecTV (free trial) or Fubo (promotional offers). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.
Oregon football 2025 season schedule, scores
--James Crepea covers theOregon Ducks and Big Ten.
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