Google announced a multiyear deal with NBA star Steph Curry on Wednesday at its Made by Google event. As part of the deal, Curry will use AI from Google's Cloud to get better at the game he's played for years. And while I respect Curry landing this gig, no one can convince me that AI knows ball.
Let's start with the idea that 11-time All-Star, 4-time NBA Champ and 2-time Scoring Champ (to name a few of his accolades) Stephen Curry knows less about basketball than Google's AI. That's absurd. Did you see those awards? Curry is one of the most dominant players of this generation, hands down.
Google thinks it can help Curry improve his shooting and workout plans through its AI Basketball Coach. The "coach" will analyze Curry's form and give him feedback.
"He'll utilize our AI Basketball Coach experience, which incorporates Gemini models on Vertex AI and MediaPipe to provide detailed form analysis, visual feedback and personalized coaching tips," Google wrote in a blog post.
Again, absurd.
Curry and the Golden State Warriors didn't win the championship this past year, but he still led the league in average 3-point field goals made per game and free-throw shooting percentage, shooting 93.3% from the line. So if there's one thing Curry knows how to do, it's shoot the ball. What's the AI going to tell him? Keep doing exactly what you're doing? Stellar advice.
According to Google, the coach films some of your jumpshots, analyzes things like ball trajectory and outcome, and then gives you feedback on how to improve. Maybe this could help your jumpshot, but it can't give you coaching tips on any other aspect of the game. The AI doesn't touch on defense, ball handling or anything else.
Does the AI know what to do when someone like 7'3" Victor Wembanyama has their hand in your face? Maybe it tells you to shoot the ball into outer space and hope for the best. What about when you're going up against Domantas Sabonis for a rebound?
Does the AI know how to stop the monster that is Nikola Jokic, who was one of the league leaders last season in points made per game, assists, rebounds and steals? No, but Jokic loves his horses, so maybe if you ask him about them, he'll be distracted.
Google's AI can't help in these scenarios because it's just supposed to help you learn how to improve your jumpshot. That's a nice tool to have, but when you play against someone like Lebron James, you're going to need a whole lot more than that to win.
Maybe Google's AI basketball coach can help teach someone how to shoot the ball, but that's about it. And even then, the best way to learn how to shoot is to get out there and play.
For more, here's what to know about the Pixel 10 series and everything else announced at the Made by Google event. You can preorder the Pixel 10 lineup starting today.