At last weekend’s NFL Draft, the league highlighted its first-round picks with an immersive experience using artificial intelligence to create custom artwork.
The NFL partnered with AI artist Adrian Curiel, who has done previous work with MLS, NBA, and MLB teams, the X-Games, the Masters, and sporting goods companies, to create “first-of-its-kind artificial artwork for prospects” tailored to the city and team that drafted them.
Once drafted, prospects in attendance could go to an LED stage and have their photo taken on a virtual 3D set surrounded with “cityscape artwork” that incorporated city landmarks, buildings, team colors, and other elements of the prospect’s new home.
The technology used a series of prompts specifying the city, art, lighting, and mood to generate more than 500 variations of images for each prospect. The idea was to provide a memorable beginning to each rookie’s pro football career while capturing the uniqueness and identity of each city and blending it with the rookie’s personality.
Once the images were created, final edits and polishing were applied to produce a customized work of art that “makes a powerful visual connection between the player and his new team’s and city’s unique identity.”
The innovation was a hit with players and fans, with many fans wanting to obtain the images and make them the background on their phones.
According to WFAA Dallas, Cowboys’ first-round pick Mazi Smith was not in attendance at the Draft and therefore did not take a picture with the Dallas cityscape.
The Dallas design featured a long hallway with the star logo appearing several times on the ceiling, surrounded with patterns of blue light. There were railings and windows on the side of the hallway, which led out to a skyline.
The project was the latest in a trend of AI usage to encourage player and fan engagement throughout sports. Other recent applications include hypothetical logos and mascot redesigns.
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