The NFL’s Big AI Experiment

Microsoft’s Copilot partnership with the NFL is an inflection point for AI technology

In 2019, the first smartphones that featured 5G cellular technology debuted with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. This moment started the 5G hype machine, with tech executives talking about the game-changing nature of the new technology. It was going to change the way we work, transform transportation, and usher in the future of computing. Most of this didn’t happen. Instead, we got faster download speeds on our phones, and the 5G home internet market debuted.

5G was a moment where the tech world was trying to drive interest in something by envisioning the future. After the technology settled into a useful connectivity tool, the focus product of the future changed. The new darling of the tech world is AI. In the last 24 months, we have seen every company position new AI tools and tell us how it will “change everything” — from workflows to the way we consume entertainment.

For this to be successful, AI companies have to execute on their promises and show the utility as opposed to simply the promise of it. A company with a lot riding on the AI wave is Microsoft. The tech giant has…