A new white paper suggests integrating sports into India's AI Mission to foster technological progress. Authored by Professor Vishal Misra, the report, titled 'Fantasy Sports as a Catalyst for India's AI Revolution in Sports', was revealed at the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025. The study emphasizes fantasy sports platforms as a distinctive, untapped avenue for democratizing AI development and nurturing domestic talent. These suggestions come as India aims for a $500 billion GDP increase via AI adoption by 2025. While the IndiaAI Mission currently focuses on healthcare, agriculture, and smart cities, the report argues that incorporating sports as a fourth pillar could yield significant benefits.

Key proposals include creating a national sports data repository, establishing specialized AI sports innovation hubs, and introducing tailored university programs. The paper underscores how fantasy sports platforms, such as Dream11 with 250 million users, generate vast datasets that could train next-generation AI models. The findings are based on insights from the FIFS Sports Data Gameathon, a national competition where engineering students developed AI models using real sports data.

With AI projected to contribute 15% to India's economy by 2030, the report makes a compelling case for policymakers to view sports as a strategic sector for technological advancement, rather than just entertainment. Prof. Vishal Misra stated that fantasy sports offer a potent platform for advancing AI in India, nurturing AI talent, and unlocking real-world applications in athlete performance, fan engagement, and strategic decision-making. The FIFS Sports Data Gameathon supported IndiaAI’s application development and FutureSkills goals, demonstrating how fantasy platforms can drive AI-driven innovation beyond elite teams, making sophisticated analytics tools accessible at scale.