Sport

Why Gary Lineker could soon be out of a job

Why Gary Lineker could soon be out of a job

Computer scientists have developed a machine which they say can edit a football highlights package without the need for human editors.

The artificial intelligence, from developers at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, can identify the most important phases of play by assessing video footage shot at the stadium.

Goals can be spotted by a sharp increase in crowd noise, free kicks can be identified by the referee's whistle and corners can be picked out using facial recognition technology when lots of players are crowded in the penalty area, according to New Scientist.

Replays shown by television cameras are also used because they often highlight an important phase of play - these can be tracked by the logos that often flash up when a replay is about to be shown.

With scientists already working on a robot sports commentator, and now the robot sports video editor, it surely can't be long before Gary Lineker is ousted from the Match of the Day sofa by a robot equivalent...

This is a picture of Gary Lineker working for BBC radio in 1995 (and not actually his robot clone).

More: Your new robot overlords can actually build themselves

HT David Bauer

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