How AI is changing the way elite teams compete

By Richard Davies, UK Country Managing Partner, Netcompany 

Elite sport has always been shaped by marginal gains. The difference between winning and losing is often measured in fractions of a second, tiny tactical decisions, or the ability to respond faster than competitors when it matters most.

For decades, that pursuit of advantage has driven innovation in nutrition, biomechanics, training methods and performance analysis. Now, AI is becoming the next major evolution, not as a replacement for human instinct or athletic brilliance, but as a tool that helps teams make better decisions in increasingly complex environments.

That shift is already underway across professional sport and the UK sits at the centre of it. Teams are using AI to analyse performance data, reduce injury risk, improve recovery, optimise tactics and better understand opponents. But the real opportunity goes far beyond statistics dashboards or automated insights. The future of AI in sport lies in creating connected, real-time environments where coaches, athletes and support staff can work from the same information and make smarter decisions together.

Turning data into decisions 

Modern sport generates enormous volumes of data. During a cycling race alone, teams are processing information from rider biometrics, weather conditions, nutrition, power output, GPS tracking, race communications and live competitor movements. In Formula One, where several of the grid’s leading teams are based right here in the UK, teams are analysing everything from tyre degradation and fuel usage to weather patterns and race simulations in real time, while football clubs are increasingly using AI-driven tracking data to monitor player workloads, identify tactical weaknesses and better understand opposition behaviour. Similar complexity exists in sailing, athletics and many other elite sports, where success increasingly depends on the ability to interpret large amounts of information quickly and turn it into smarter decisions under pressure.

The challenge today is no longer access to information, it is knowing how to turn that information into meaningful action in real time.

That is where AI has the potential to fundamentally reshape sport. By collecting, connecting and analysing data from multiple sources simultaneously, AI platforms can help teams cut through complexity and focus on what matters most in the moment. In high-pressure environments, having clarity and confidence in decision-making can often be the difference between success and failure.

Importantly, this is not about removing the human element from sport. The best athletes and coaches will always rely on instinct, experience and emotional intelligence. AI should support those qualities, not replace them.

Supporting people, not replacing them

In many ways, the role of AI in sport reflects what we are seeing across British businesses more broadly. The organisations succeeding with AI are not necessarily those trying to automate every process, they are the ones using technology to empower people to make faster, more informed and more collaborative decisions.

That thinking sits at the heart of Netcompany’s recent partnership with the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team, which has become Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team from this month’s 2026 Giro d’Italia. At the centre of the collaboration is PULSE, our European real-time AI-driven platform designed to act as a control tower by connecting data across complex ecosystems and enabling teams to make decisions in real time.

Within the team, PULSE will bring together multiple live data streams, from rider performance metrics and race conditions to communications and tactical insights, into a single shared view that can support faster, more aligned decision-making during races. The aim is not to overwhelm riders or coaches with more information, but to help simplify complex situations, improve coordination across the team and ultimately enable better decisions in the moments that matter most.

What makes sport such an interesting environment for AI is the pace and intensity of decision-making. There is very little margin for error, and outcomes are often determined by how effectively teams can respond to constantly changing conditions. In that sense, elite sport provides a unique testing ground for technologies designed to help people operate with greater speed, coordination and confidence under pressure.

At the same time, sport also highlights the importance of trust. Athletes and coaches will only embrace AI if they believe it improves performance without taking away from the human side of competition. Technology has to enhance the experience, not overcomplicate it.

A wider opportunity for the UK

There is also a wider lesson here for the UK’s technology industry. Too often, conversations around AI are dominated by either fear or hype. Sport offers a more practical and relatable example of how AI can deliver real value, not through futuristic concepts, but by helping teams communicate more effectively, respond faster and make better decisions in critical moments.

The UK has a genuine opportunity to lead in this area, drawing on a technology sector with deep roots in both engineering and elite sport, by developing AI systems that are transparent, collaborative and designed around real operational challenges. That matters because the future of AI will not simply be determined by who builds the biggest models or generates the most headlines, it will be shaped by who can apply AI responsibly and effectively in environments where decisions genuinely matter.

Beyond the finish line

Sport is one of the clearest examples of this in action, but the lessons and technologies being developed will have applications far beyond elite competition. Technologies first developed in elite competition often influence industries such as healthcare, transportation, infrastructure and public services. The ability to analyse complex systems in real time and improve decision-making has relevance across almost every part of society.

We are already seeing this in sectors such as aviation and transport, where AI platforms are helping organisations respond more effectively to disruption, coordinate operations more efficiently and improve experiences for millions of people. The same principles apply in sport.

Ultimately, the most exciting aspect of AI in sport is not the technology itself, but the way it can bring people, information and decision-making together more effectively. The teams that succeed in the coming years will not necessarily be those with the most data. They will be the ones best able to use that information to create alignment, trust and smarter decisions under pressure while still preserving the human judgment that defines great sport.