AFL Orders Sportsbet to Delete AI Athlete Ads as 2027 Rights Deal Omits Deepfakes
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 13
AFL Orders Sportsbet to Delete AI Athlete Ads as 2027 Rights Deal Omits Deepfakes
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 13
Summary
Sportsbet removed AI-generated Instagram videos of AFL players on Tuesday after the league told its betting partner to stop using athletes’ likenesses without permission.
The takedown followed AFLPA objections that the clips breached the 2023-2027 collective bargaining agreement, which limits partner use of player images and does not address AI-generated content.
Examples included Lachie Neale delivering Snoop Dogg’s 2018 “I want to thank me” speech and Will Ashcroft shouting an Ozark line tied to the 2026 AFL grand final.
The videos were age-restricted and aimed at boosting social-media engagement, but they landed as Australia has already legislated to ban athletes in gambling ads from next year.
Senator David Pocock and University of Sydney researcher Mark Johnson said the episode exposed weak safeguards around deepfakes and gambling marketing, adding pressure for tighter regulation.