The Rise of Emotion AI: Decoding Flow Experiences in Sports

In this chapter, Bartl and Fuller explore Emotion artificial intelligence (AI), which has the potential not only to radically change the way sports are coached, but also how they are experienced and consumed. Their chapter illustrates how affective states can be measured with the help of AI and how the provided analytics may impact the sports experience. Besides giving insights in the role emotions play in sports, the empirical case study shows how to measure the state of flow of biathlon athletes with AI. Their findings show that the analysis of psychophysiological patterns allows classification of athletes’ flow states and prediction of performance. And finally, they outline how Emotion AI may add value to the sports activity of athletes, coaches, spectators, and researchers.