Wimbledon’s Use of AI to Safeguard Players from Online Abuse

In a groundbreaking move, the All England Lawn Tennis Club is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to protect players at Wimbledon from online abuse. This AI-driven service is designed to monitor players' public-facing social media profiles and automatically flag incidents of death threats, racism, and sexist comments in 35 different languages. The initiative comes in response to the rising cases of targeted online abuse faced by high-profile players, such as former US Open champion Emma Raducanu and four-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka.

Both Raducanu and Osaka have spoken out about the distress caused by online abuse, with some even resorting to deleting social media platforms from their phones. Harriet Dart, the British No 2, also revealed that she only occasionally uses social media due to the prevalence of online hate. Speaking after her recent victory against Katie Boulter, the British No 1, Dart emphasized the mixed impact of social media, stating, “I just think there’s a lot of positives for it [social media] but also a lot of negatives. I’m sure today, if I open one of my apps, regardless if I won, I’d have a lot of hate as well.”

To combat this issue, Wimbledon’s tournament director, Jamie Baker, introduced a social media monitoring service called Threat Matrix. Developed by the AI company Signify Group, this system will soon be implemented at the US Open as well. Baker underscored the importance of this initiative, stating, “This is not something you would see in the public domain at all. You won’t see us shout about it, but basically we are scrolling social media for any of this type of content and it means that we can get information that we haven’t had in the past.”

Baker further elucidated on the functioning of the AI-driven service, mentioning that human monitors also support the system by flagging potential incidents. Additionally, players have the option to enroll in a fuller service that scans abuse or threats through private direct messaging. Furthermore, Wimbledon plans to consult with the affected players before taking action, whether it involves reporting the abuse to tech companies for removal or escalating it to the authorities if necessary.

The efficacy of this service has already been demonstrated in the sporting realm. World Rugby also utilizes Threat Matrix, resulting in the successful prosecution of an Australian individual in April. This individual had sent threatening and abusive messages to a referee and his wife via Facebook during the World Cup. Wimbledon affirmed that Threat Matrix had conducted a study in which it analyzed over 1.6 million public posts on X and 19,000 Instagram comments directed at 454 players participating in various professional tennis tournaments in 2022. Alarming findings emerged from the study, revealing that one in four players were subjected to abuse, with the identification of 546 offensive posts from 438 accounts.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) expressed concern over the increasing number of female players being targeted by online bullying and called upon social media platforms to prioritize the safety of their users. Courtney McBride, the WTA’s general counsel and senior vice-president, emphasized their commitment to supporting players in addressing this pressing issue. She stated, “We’ve been working with our players for several years to support them on this important issue, as the number affected continues to increase. We remain committed to working with the social media companies and urge them to find ways of making their platforms a safe place for expression where harassment or abuse of individuals is not tolerated.”

As technology continues to advance and permeate various aspects of our lives, it is heartening to see organizations like Wimbledon taking proactive steps to safeguard athletes from online abuse. By utilizing AI systems, they are able to monitor social media platforms and swiftly respond to incidents of harassment. This innovative use of AI not only protects players' well-being but also highlights the importance of fostering a safe and inclusive online environment.