Olympics: Japanese professor harnessing AI in pursuit of curling gold

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy - A professor at a university in Hokkaido has put artificial intelligence to work in support of Japan's women's curling team, hoping insights derived from play data can help the players gain an advantage in their quest for Olympic glory.

Masahito Yamamoto, a professor at Hokkaido University's Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, has tasked AI with analyzing approximately 100 matches played by Fortius, the team that won the right to represent Japan via a September 2025 domestic qualifier, to create a database of tactics.