October 13 – AI (artificial intelligence) is rewriting the rules of every industry, but to date, it hasn’t been used to replace the all-powerful, football agent, until today, as former Manchester United prospect player Demetri Mitchell delved into the world of ChatGPT.
The 28-year-old, now playing for Leyton Orient, revealed that he negotiated his own move this summer using AI. Mitchell described the platform as his “best agent to date”, sending shudders through the wallets of your traditional bricks-and-mortar player agent.
“They [Leyton Orient] sent me an offer, and I started using ChatGPT, asking it how to negotiate a deal, and what to say in it,” Mitchell said on the From My Left podcast. “I did think I was worth a little bit more as well, but you don’t want to be like that… And because I didn’t use the agent, I get that [agent fee] as a signing-on fee.”
Mitchell admits that an agent might have squeezed a few hundred pounds more but the difference would’ve been negligible, adding: “The agent might have got me a couple hundred more, but the percent that I would have to pay them – the difference – is going to be eaten up (commissions) anyway.”
With AI able to draft emails, analyse contracts, and suggest negotiation tactics, Mitchell didn’t hold back in his critique of the system in place.
“There’s three types of agents – the ones on salary, the big-agency hunters who drop you once you’re not a top prospect, and the money-hungry ones who just want to move you anywhere, fast. When you’re in the lower leagues, it’s difficult to get a good agent.”
Agents are often cast as the biggest villains in football. What will clubs and managers have to say about AI when their held hostage to an algorithm?
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