Is football AI-proof? Why tech investors wanted a slice of the World Cup
Tech investment firm Thrive Eternal explored purchasing a stake in the FIFA World Cup, betting that sports possess 'human' qualities that AI cannot replicate. Despite FIFA's U-turn on the sale, the strategy highlights a broader trend of investors seeking assets resistant to AI disruption.
Why it matters
This reflects a growing investment thesis that traditional human-centric cultural events are becoming premium assets in an AI-dominated economy.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Michael Race Business reporter, New York Getty Images Joshua Kushner runs the investment group behind the plan to buy a minority stake in the World Cup Fifa has been forced to U-turn on plans to sell off a slice of the World Cup after fierce opposition, with threats of future boycotts and calls for the governing body's president, Gianni Infantino, to quit.
But why were a group of tech investors interested in the World Cup in the first place, and are similar proposals in the future inevitable?
In a world in which AI could upend human recreation and pastimes, executives at Thrive Eternal, a spin-off of venture capital firm Thrive Capital, saw an opportunity to lead a group of investors to place cash in the biggest sporting competition on the planet.
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