Cristian Volpato, a 22-year-old Australia international footballer currently playing for Italian Serie A club Sassuolo, has become one of the latest professional athletes to license his artificial intelligence (AI) likeness. In mid-September, Volpato entered an agreement with Callandor, a California-based company specializing in AI licensing for sports figures, granting them exclusive rights to his digital image, voice, biometric data, and performance statistics.
The partnership aims to monetize Volpato’s AI representation through brand endorsements and controlled digital content, while also restricting unauthorized use. Callandor’s co-founder Michael Fisk described the creation of “synthetic twins,” AI-generated digital replicas that can represent athletes around the clock, potentially opening new commercial opportunities that go beyond the limitations of athletes’ schedules and physical appearances.
The rise of AI-generated athlete representations occurs amid growing concerns over unauthorized use of player images by bookmakers, broadcasters, and brands. Recently, the Australian Football League (AFL) instructed its gambling partner Sportsbet to halt the use of AI images of players without consent after a complaint from the players’ union. This move reflects wider industry debates on protecting athlete image rights as the technology advances faster than existing regulations.
Sydney-based startup Hyperknown, led by William Saunders, is also developing deals to help athletes make strategic use of their AI likenesses. Saunders emphasized the urgency for players to assert control over their digital identities, warning of a race between technological capabilities and personal authorizations. He further highlighted the commercial potential of AI avatars, such as enabling athletes to promote products in international markets in languages they do not speak.
However, the legal framework for addressing AI-generated content remains complex. Jonathan Harlen, an intellectual property law expert at Southern Cross University, explained that current copyright protections apply only to works exhibiting significant human authorship and do not cover AI reproductions. Athletes do have some legal recourse under “passing off” laws, which require proof of economic harm to take action against unauthorized AI use, but these protections have not prevented a surge in deepfake content.
Globally, several football players, including Cole Palmer and Lucy Bronze, have voiced concerns about deepfakes and called for stronger regulatory measures. The international players’ union Fifpro supports such initiatives, following incidents where unauthorized deepfake videos were used in advertising by offshore gambling operators, such as a clip featuring Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.
While the misuse of AI images raises ethical and legal challenges, experts caution against overly restrictive measures that might stifle genuine fan creativity. Fisk acknowledged that fan-generated AI content poses a nuanced issue, noting the need to manage uses that could damage reputations or misrepresent athletes, particularly in connection with sensitive topics. At the same time, he underscored the vast commercial possibilities that responsibly licensed AI likenesses could unlock for athletes and their partners.
As the sports industry adapts to these technological developments, questions remain about how regulation and market forces will shape the future of athlete image rights in the digital era.