ExpandAI launches Podium AI: the governance and skills programme helping sports organisations adopt AI safely, fairly, and fast.

London 12th September 2025 - ExpandAI today announces Podium AI, a practical governance and skills programme designed specifically for sports organisations that want the benefits of AI without the legal, ethical, or reputational risks.

Podium AI gives clubs, governing bodies, leagues, and event owners a simple framework to get from AI chaos to clarity: a clear policy, a risk and assurance toolkit aligned to international best practice, and hands-on training for the people who work with AI tools. No hype. No black boxes. Just sports-ready governance that stands up to scrutiny.

Why now

Sports organisations are adopting generative and data-driven systems across scouting, officiating support, athlete management, medical triage, ticketing, and fan engagement. That brings duty-of-care, fairness, IP, privacy, and integrity questions to the surface. Podium AI addresses them with a lightweight, ISO-aligned approach designed for the realities of sport —multiple vendors, limited internal capacity, high public exposure.

Regulatory context: 

The EU AI Act: The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act entered into force on 1 August 2024 and phases in over 2025–2027. Prohibited practices and AI-literacy duties began applying in February 2025; general-purpose AI (GPAI) obligations apply from 2 August 2025; most high-risk use cases (Annex III) become applicable by 2 August 2026, with product-safety-linked high-risk systems (Annex I) following by 2 August 2027. 

For any sports organisation operating in or reaching EU residents, this means clear responsibilities on transparency, human oversight, logging, vendor control, and evidence of compliance. Podium AI is built to operationalise exactly that.

“Sport doesn’t operate on an island. If you’re selecting talent, profiling fans, automating comms, or analysing athlete data with AI, you’re already in scope for governance,” said Ruth Astbury, Co-Founder of ExpandAI. 

“Podium AI gets leadership teams out of vague AI Governance talk and into concrete proof - what your AI systems are in use, what you are planning, who’s accountable, how it’s audited, and how your people are trained. It’s ethical, defensible, and usable on Monday.”

What’s inside Podium AI

Get Grounded (1-Day Sprint) A fast, practical reset to make your leadership team credible on Responsible AI, by tomorrow.

Level up your AI with a 3-day programme (for leaders + practitioners) covering safe GenAI use, assurance basics, and sport-specific use case (talent ID, welfare, fan comms, officiating support).

“The gap in sport isn’t  AI tools -  it’s proof and ensuring fairness.  Podium AI gives you the paper trail, the people skills, and the practical controls to scale AI responsibly,” added Alex Cootes, Co-Founder of ExpandAI.

Who it’s for

• National Governing Bodies & Leagues needing consistent standards across clubs and pathways.

• Clubs & Academies implementing AI in performance, player care, and fan engagement.

• Events & Venues managing crowd flows, safety, and sponsor activations with AI-enabled systems.

• Universities & Institutes partnering with performance teams and athlete health programmes.

Availability

• Podium AI is available now in the UK and Europe. 

• Media contact: Ruth Astbury 

• Corporate site:www.expandai.co.uk/podiumAI

Notes to editors (EU AI Act)

• Entered into force: 1 Aug 2024; OJ publication: 12 Jul 2024. Artificial Intelligence Act EUWhite & Case

• Application timeline (headline dates):
  • Prohibitions & AI-literacy duties: 2 Feb 2025.
  • GPAI governance obligations: 2 Aug 2025 (with Codes of Practice guided by the EU AI Office).
  • High-risk systems (Annex III): 2 Aug 2026.
  • High-risk systems linked to product safety (Annex I): 2 Aug 2027. Digital StrategyEuropean ParliamentIAPP

• Deployer responsibilities (e.g., clubs, leagues): human oversight, proper use, monitoring, logging, worker information, and incident notification. Artificial Intelligence Act EU