The 2026 Winter Olympics are not the first of their kind.
Of course, every Olympic competition is incredibly unique—characterized by its own set of athletes, its own culture, and its own records to be broken. But the 2026 Winter Olympics are the sequel to an entirely new genre of competition: AI-integrated Olympics. That fact adds a layer of technological and cultural significance that has sparked discourse among fans, athletes, and coaches alike.
The 2024 Olympics were the first to significantly use AI. But Milano-Cortina’s use of Artificial Intelligence is driving the hammer into the nail set by Paris, effectively setting a new norm and securing AI’s presence in the Olympic setting. The 2026 Winter Olympics has chosen to follow new precedent over tradition. The changes are noticeable, and only time will tell how they impact future Olympics, like the LA28 Games.
AI application in the 2026 Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics are embracing AI on a scale never seen before. The two most intriguing areas of application are in increased fan engagement and in optimizing athletic performance.
Increased audience engagement
In terms of audience viewing, the 2026 Winter Olympics’ use of AI has created the most immersive experience yet. The use of AI in this year’s Games have created one of the most efficient and high-quality streaming experiences for viewers across the globe. The addition of new interactive elements such as 360-degree views and VR capabilities differentiates the 2026 Games from their predecessors. This creates a more immersive experience for fans. Another highlight is “Olympic GPT,” a new feature that allows fans to ask Olympic-related questions as they occur.
Athlete performance optimization and competition scoring
But these changes affect more than just fans. The use of AI in Milan-Cortina has also impacted Olympic competitors. AI’s real-time playback feature has incredible applications for coaching and athletic improvement. Use of AI analysis is already helping athletes and coaches account for environmental factors, better track and understand biometrics, and utilize pattern recognition to optimize performance and expedite improvements. It is even being integrated into judging to help prevent bias and error.
Of course, this in no way detracts from the incredible grit, talent, and perseverance of the athletes. (No amount of AI application could ever allow me to land one of Ilia Malinin’s quadruple axels or Chloe Kim’s back-to-back 1080s.) The use of AI does mark advancement in sporting technology and an opportunity to push already-great athletes even further.
Downfalls of AI usage in 2026 Winter Olympics
Of course, there are downsides to AI’s growing prevalence in the Olympics. None serves as a greater example than the angry response to AI usage this past Monday. People criticized the use of AI music in one of the team ice dance routines, believing that it detracted from the human element at the heart of performance and art. It’s an argument worth having, especially when these values are so intrinsic to the Olympics themselves.
Further, there are some drawbacks with AI usage in judging. While it can successfully mitigate human error in scoring, it has a weakness in expecting unrealistic perfection. It also fails again to account for the emotional element of performances. Bias still poses a threat too, as there may be a preference for the body types and performances most similar to what the AI was trained on. But despite these cons, the general consensus seems to be that, for now, the benefits outweigh the risks.
New Era, 2026 Games driven by innovation
It can be safely assumed that AI has taken up permanent residence within the Olympic Arena. This thought may seem somewhat jarring, given how common it is to think of AI in a fairly intangible setting with applications only for traditional ideas of intelligence. It seems almost ironic they would have such an impact on the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Games are the culmination of physical achievement and the definitive human spirit, everything AI is not.
And yet, perhaps there is no surprise that Milan-Cortina has embraced AI’s potential. After all, what event better captures the hunger for improvement and innovation than the Olympics? Along with a stunning display of grace, control, and perseverance, this year’s Games are showcasing AI’s applications for kinesthetic intelligence as well as traditional intelligence. The same tenacity of spirit driving these changes is what attracts and inspires fans from across the globe to eagerly tune in for their most immersive experience yet of the 2026 Winter Olympics.