What can players and clubs do about 'AI slop'?

What can players and clubs do about 'AI slop'? By Dale Johnson Football issues correspondent Published 28 minutes ago 17 Comments You do not have to look far on social media to find images and videos of footballers in unlikely or bizarre situations. Scroll through TikTok and you may soon stumble across Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo cutting each other's hair, or boarding the Titanic in Edwardian dress. You might even see Kylian Mbappe on a ski-lift with a turtle. This is the result of the exponential growth of artificial intelligence . Or, more precisely, AI 'slop'. AI can be asked to deliver pretty much anything. By anyone. The tools are becoming ever more sophisticated and easily accessible. It will become even harder to spot what is real and what is, in AI terms, deepfake. It may seem, for the most part, like harmless fun. After all, who really thinks Messi and Ronaldo have been serving burgers? But is there a point at which players and clubs will try to draw the line? Options are limited for players to take action As football has become a commercial juggernaut, players and clubs have had to learn how to look after their brands. That could be by protecting the club crest or challenging the use of a player's name in unauthorised promotional material. Take Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer, who has trademarked the term 'Cold Palmer' with the UK government's Intellectual Property Office. The 23-year-old did the same with his name, autograph and signature 'shivering' celebration. Creating protections is one thing. Being able to tackle this new AI world of relentless content is another. In the UK there is limited legislation covering someone's likeness. Or, as it is called in football, image rights. Jonty Cowan, legal director at law firm Wiggin LLP, told BBC Sport that AI was presenting "lots of novel challenges". "Various governments around the world are trying to figure out... how do we react to AI?" said Cowan. AI is being used to put players into real-life scena...