Top men’s tennis names shielded from ‘severe’ abuse by ATP AI tool

First-year results amusement AI instrumentality scanned 3.1m integer posts successful thrust to support to tennis players from harmful content.

Top men’s tennis players were shielded from much than 162,000 societal media comments containing “severe” maltreatment during the archetypal twelvemonth of the artificial intelligence-powered ATP Safe Sport initiative, the sport’s governing assemblage has announced.

The abusive messages, which targeted 245 players, were recovered and past hidden successful existent clip arsenic the strategy scanned much than 3.1 cardinal comments for harmful integer contented pursuing its motorboat successful July 2024.

“Safe Sport creates a healthier online environment, escaped from hateful comments and antagonistic messages,” said Serb Dusan Lajovic, the ATP Player Advisory Council subordinate said connected Thursday.

“This way, my societal media beingness is defined by who I am, not by my show connected the court.”

Tennis players, similar galore athletes, often person to woody with the wrath of anonymous abusers online. A survey conducted by the governing bodies of the athletics showed past twelvemonth that galore of the offenders were recovered to beryllium aggravated gamblers.

Former satellite fig 3 Elina Svitolina said this month, pursuing her decision by Naomi Osaka successful Montreal, that she had been flooded with maltreatment and decease threats, and blamed the “shameful” behaviour connected disgruntled bettors.

Former satellite fig three, Elina Svitolina, announced she was targeted by harmful integer contented pursuing a decision past period [David Kirouac-Imagn Images/Reuters]

Men’s players are arsenic prone to abuse, and ATP Director of Safeguarding Andrew Azzopardi said that Safe Sport fundamentally changed however his organisation protected athletes online implicit the past year.

“More than 1 successful 10 comments connected players’ posts were abusive – rising to 50 percent successful utmost cases. While it won’t destruct maltreatment overnight, it’s our archetypal enactment of defence,” Azzopardi said.

“Safeguarding subordinate wellbeing is simply a semipermanent commitment.”

During the archetypal twelvemonth of Safe Sport, officials escalated much than 3,300 comments portion they identified 68 perpetrators and initiated 28 instrumentality enforcement referrals.

Beyond societal media, the initiative, which presently covers the apical 250 singles and apical 50 doubles players, volition besides enactment athletes facing email threats, impersonation, deepfakes, arsenic good arsenic scams.

The ATP – which governs the men’s nonrecreational crippled successful tennis – added that it volition heighten incidental effect protocols, broaden protections and advocator for greater accountability from societal media platforms successful the future.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies