British athletes given AI app as shield from online abuse

Team GB Olympic and Paralympic athletes are being offered a new form of artificial intelligence-based protection from online abuse. UK Sport, the body that funds Olympic and Paralympic sports, has signed a contract worth more than £300,000 to give thousands of athletes access to an app that detects and hides abusive posts sent by other users on social media. Athletes are able to sign up for free and can protect their accounts throughout the Games cycle up to Los Angeles 2028. The level of abuse our athletes are facing online is unacceptable - to do nothing about this is not an option, UK Sport director of performance Kate Baker said about a deal that is the first of its kind in British sport. The app, called Social Protect, uses AI to try to ensure athletes see as few abusive messages sent their way as possible.