Members of the AI-Powered Athletics team — Spencer Thomas, Dr. Garrett Beatty, and Dr. Jennifer Nichols — presented at the Times Higher Education Global AI Summit in Toronto. Their session, “AI-Powered Athletics: Data, Ethics, and Responsibility,” highlighted UF’s innovative collaboration between the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the University Athletic Association.
Their session abstract reads:
What happens when a world-class athletic association meets world-class artificial intelligence (AI)? At the University of Florida, a pioneering collaboration between the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the University Athletic Association is reshaping collegiate athletics.
This project brings together performance experts and AI researchers to create a data-driven system that supports the health, wellness and success of more than 500 student athletes. By integrating a trillion data points – from strength assessments and injury history to wellness and academics – it delivers real-time insights to empower decisions by coaches and health professionals.
Spencer Thomas, Dr Garrett Beatty, and Dr Jennifer Nichols will share lessons from this initiative. They will explore how its robust ethical safeguards and holistic approach are redefining student athlete care, advancing AI research and setting a new standard for responsible innovation in higher education.
October 28th, 2025