A recent survey conducted by Qlik has unveiled a significant shift in how Americans manage their fantasy football teams, with a notable reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) for strategic decision-making. The survey, which involved 1,000 U.S. fantasy football players, found that 72% of participants use AI to help guide their roster choices. Moreover, close to a third of respondents expressed a willingness to let AI manage their teams entirely, indicating a growing comfort with automation in this popular pastime.
Shifting Attitudes Towards AI
The willingness to relinquish control to AI is particularly pronounced among players aged 35 to 44, with 45% of them open to having AI handle their teams. This trend highlights a generational shift in attitudes towards technology and automation. While only 13% of all respondents perceive AI usage in fantasy football as cheating, 44% have expressed concerns that the widespread adoption of AI could diminish competitive advantages by leveling the playing field.
These sentiments echo broader trends in workplace environments, where access to AI tools is becoming more common. The ability to leverage AI effectively may increasingly determine competitive differentiation in various sectors, underscoring the importance of data quality and execution.
AI Usage in Fantasy Football and Work
The survey also revealed intriguing insights into how players integrate fantasy football management into their professional lives. Approximately 52% of participants admitted to managing their fantasy teams during work hours. Interestingly, 42% of those surveyed reported feeling more comfortable using AI in their jobs compared to their fantasy leagues. This finding challenges the assumption that personal technology adoption drives behavior in professional settings, suggesting that workplace environments might foster greater trust in AI.
When it comes to practical applications, fans predominantly turn to AI for structured decision-making processes. The most common uses identified in the survey included weekly lineup choices (20%), draft moves (19%), draft preparation (18%), and trade evaluations (16%). Only 9% of respondents indicated that they utilize AI for creative tasks, such as generating team names or engaging in trash talk, underscoring a preference for AI in contexts where outcomes are concrete and measurable.
The survey results reveal a distinct generational divide in attitudes towards AI in fantasy football. Younger and mid-career players are more inclined to allow AI to take the lead, while older players remain more cautious. Just 12% of respondents over the age of 55 would permit AI to run their team, in stark contrast to nearly half of those aged 35 to 44 who would do the same.
As noted by Mike Capone, CEO of Qlik, “Fantasy football may be a game, but it is also a low-risk, high-interest environment where people reveal how they will engage with AI in more serious contexts.” He emphasized that success in both fantasy sports and business relies more on the quality of data fed to AI and the ability to interpret results effectively than on mere access to the technology itself.
The acceleration of AI adoption in fantasy football may serve as a cultural indicator for how Americans navigate trust, oversight, and competitive advantage in both recreational and professional arenas. As technology continues to evolve, the dynamics observed in fantasy sports could reflect broader trends in the workplace and beyond.
