Smart Talks with IBM Ferrari Fandom, Supercharged by AI
Sep 9, 2025
Fred Baker, who leads sports and entertainment for IBM Consulting in EMEA, discusses how IBM is revolutionizing fan engagement with Scuderia Ferrari. He highlights the passionate 'Tifosi' fanbase and the role of AI in personalizing digital experiences. The conversation dives into nostalgic connections with the brand, innovative strategies to attract casual fans, and the impressive growth of the Ferrari app. Baker emphasizes building community through digital tools, making the most out of historical moments, and transforming the racing experience for fans worldwide.
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Scale Isn't The Goal — Depth Is
- Scuderia Ferrari's priority is deepening connection, not growing fan count, because it already has ~396 million fans.
- IBM positions data and AI as the information problem solver to personalize and deepen those emotional ties.
Wimbledon Bunker Demo
- Fred Baker showed Ferrari executives the Wimbledon bunker to demonstrate IBM's live data and broadcast integration capabilities.
- The tour highlighted real-time data capture, categorization, and distribution to apps and broadcasters.
Sport-Specific Language Models Work
- IBM trained AI on the specific language and patterns of Wimbledon to produce broadcaster-ready insights.
- The model extracts context, milestones, and predictions to enrich live commentary and fan experience.