Do we need AI in everything?!
We’re under a year away from the 2026 FIFA World Cup taking over the sporting landscape for an entire month. Now, we know more about the ball, which will be powered — like everything else these days — by AI.
…How?
That’s a fair question.
The ball is called the Adidas Trionda, which, according to Daily Mail, means “three waves” and features red, blue, and green as an homage to the three host nations, the US, Canada, and Mexico. There’s also a star for the US, a maple leaf for Canada, and an Eagle for Mexico.
If you want a really good view of it, check it out on the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Now, the big question: how could a soccer ball be powered by AI?
Well, there’s a chip inside the ball, which is part of Adidas’ Connected Ball Technology. The data from it can be used by the VAR system and can help officials make offside and handball calls when combined with player tracking technology.
Cool… but do we need AI in everything?
I think we’ve hit the point where saying something is “Powered by AI” is a marketing tool. It’s like companies think that if their product doesn’t use AI, we’re going to tell them and their Fred Flintstone technology to pound sand (rock?).
Not everything needs to be upgraded. Some items were perfected decades ago; that’s why no one touches them.
The soccer ball could go in that category.
However, I think that this chip is a good idea, because it might thwart a soccer riot, which, as everyone knows, is the most dangerous form of sports riot.
I mean, imagine a handball gets missed or one gets called erroneously. Without that AI chip doo-hickey, we’d probably have some fans unbolting stadium seats and heaving them over their heads with both hands like a throw-in.
But, because VAR now has that chip data — Boom — an appropriate call is made and the riot never happens.
Come to think of it, I may have just talked myself into the AI cyber ball.
