NASCAR leans into AI surge, hires director of artificial intelligence

NASCAR is diving headfirst into artificial intelligence, according to a report from the Sports Business Journal. The sport has tapped a first-ever director of artificial intelligence as the organization tries to get its hands around the budding phenomenon.

How NASCAR implements AI will be key. So far, there hasn’t been much of a reveal in terms of how the organization plans to use it.

In any case, Richard Bowman joined NASCAR at the start of the calendar year as an AI operations specialist, according to SBJ. He helps lead NASCAR’s “efforts in AI related to strategy, governance, policy and implementation.”

Bowman was promoted to director of artificial intelligence following his early work with the sport. His new role will “guide NASCAR’s approach to AI by shaping strategy, surfacing high-value opportunities, and supporting responsible execution across the business.”

SBJ notes that there are already several existing artificial intelligence platforms that have inked deals with other racing organizations, primarily in F1 and IndyCar. So, NASCAR will just be the latest to wade into the new technology full bore.

OpenAI set to host forum with NASCAR

Prior to SBJ’s news about the promotion of Bowman, OpenAI had already announced a virtual session coming up that will focus on AI adoption in motorsports. NASCAR was set to be featured in the forum.

The session is set to take place on Thursday. It will focus on how artificial intelligence “is being used across analytics, racing operations, and workforce enablement, offering a real-world example of how AI tools are being deployed in complex, data-driven environments.”

Bowman is set to contribute during the forum. So too will Derek Thomas, the managing director of analytics at NASCAR.

OpenAI has said the session is designed to look at how organizations can support their employees with the use of AI, coaching them in how to use the tools effectively and how to scale them across organizations. NASCAR’s analytics team is set to present a live demonstration showing how it is using AI tools currently.