Global Sports Grapple with AI-Generated Misinformation

AI-Generated “Slop” Poses Growing Threat to Sports Industry, Study Warns

A new study by AI risk management platform Alethea has sounded the alarm on the rising tide of artificial intelligence-generated fake content targeting the sports world, highlighting the increasing sophistication of digital misinformation that threatens teams, leagues, and fans alike.

The research reveals numerous instances of fabricated quotes and false stories attributed to prominent athletes that quickly gained traction online. For instance, retired NFL player Jason Kelce never criticized Bad Bunny’s critics as being “a bad fit for America’s future,” despite thousands believing he did. Similarly, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle never made political statements about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, yet many fans were convinced otherwise.

“Teams and players are suddenly being accused of things that are completely fabricated,” Lisa Kaplan, founder and CEO of Alethea, told Reuters. She emphasized that the evolution of AI tools has transformed fake news into a more formidable challenge than ever before. “Content now looks real and is produced at a volume that makes it hard for the average person to determine if it’s authentic.”

The traditional methods of creating fake news have been revolutionized by artificial intelligence. “Before, fake news often relied on human labour to repetitively copy and paste content. Today, AI can impersonate brands and create engaging images that mimic genuine announcements,” Kaplan explained.

This wave of AI-generated content follows recognizable patterns: fake game updates, nonexistent celebrity feuds, manufactured scandals, and politicized quotes falsely attributed to star players. Both Kelce and Kittle had to publicly deny statements they never made after fabricated posts went viral.

The impact extends beyond mere confusion. According to Kaplan, these sophisticated misinformation campaigns have disrupted traditional sports media monetization models. “These networks drive engagement to questionable websites, skew advertising metrics, and can even create scenarios that could manipulate betting markets,” she noted.

C Shawn Eib, Alethea’s Head of Investigations, described how these networks employ tactics such as making multiple contradictory announcements. One example included conflicting claims that former Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh had been hired by multiple teams simultaneously. “When a single figure appears to be linked with several teams at the same time, it quickly becomes clear that an AI system is behind the creation of these images,” Eib said.

The business implications are significant. Beyond reputational damage, these networks siphon advertising revenue from legitimate sports media organizations and distort audience metrics. Some outbound links have been flagged for phishing and malicious redirects, presenting tangible fraud risks to unsuspecting fans.

The problem isn’t confined to the NFL. Alethea discovered similar operations targeting major sports leagues including the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, Formula 1, IndyCar, and professional tennis.

Kaplan highlighted that sports remain one of the few cultural touchpoints that unite people across political and social divides, making them particularly attractive targets for influence operations. She referenced Russia’s alleged exploitation of Colin Kaepernick’s 2018 “Take a Knee” protest as a precedent. A 2019 Senate Intelligence Committee report revealed that Russian trolls had heavily focused on the kneeling debate as part of broader efforts to exacerbate racial tensions in the United States following the 2016 election.

“Kaepernick’s protests were exploited for a purpose that had nothing to do with sport. Instead, it’s a way of leveraging a cultural touchstone and turning it into something that polarizes people,” Kaplan explained.

Kaila Ryan, Alethea’s VP of Communications, warned about the broader implications: “If fans, players and even entire franchises fall prey to these manipulated narratives, it risks damaging reputations, undermining trust and even politicizing sport.”

Ryan emphasized that sports organizations need to take proactive measures to protect their brands and digital safety. This includes monitoring risks, coordinating across communications, legal and security teams, and educating fans to verify announcements from official channels.

For fans, Kaplan offered straightforward advice: “Verify breaking news through official team channels, don’t click links in suspicious page comments and remember that outrage is often the product, not the by-product, of what you’re seeing.”