SSAC

Moderator: Jeff Ma Panelists: Claire Rogers, Fahad Zahid, Josh Talge, Samantha Barkowski In blackjack, when players optimized the system, casinos didn’t celebrate the math — they changed the rules. Golf may be facing a similar moment. From strokes gained and AI swing tools to launch monitors, simulators, new equipment standards, and real-time broadcast data, technology is reshaping how the game is played and consumed. At the same time, new competitive formats, private capital investment, the rise of LIV Golf, and evolving media and betting ecosystems are challenging long-held assumptions about what professional golf should look like — and how it should make money. This panel brings together leaders across the PGA ecosystem, equipment innovation, sports investment, media, and digital strategy to debate whether this wave of technology and commercialization is strengthening golf — or quietly redefining it. Are simulators expanding the funnel or replacing green grass golf? Are new formats and capital accelerating innovation or fragmenting tradition? As tours explore new monetization models and fans consume the sport through highlights, betting apps, and social media, we’ll examine whether golf is evolving intentionally — or being optimized into something fundamentally different. This panel brings together leaders from the PGA, golf media, and digital analytics to examine how data, platforms, and new viewing experiences are changing golf consumption from start to finish. Panelists will discuss what is working today, how data is improving storytelling and fan understanding, and where future innovation will create real value for fans, media partners, and the sport.

Moderator: Jackie MacMullan Panelists: Daryl Morey, Jay Sugarman, Nate Silver, Sue Bird An athlete, front office executive, owner, and an outsider. Four different perspectives, united by a willingness to think differently. Panelists discuss their approach to thinking unconventionally, what makes for a good unconventional thinker, and what organizations in sports and beyond can do to approach novel problems differently.

Moderator: Peko Hosoi Panelists: Josh Gwyther, Samin Odhwani, Annie Lokesh In 2026, AI is rapidly becoming a foundational technology across industries, and sports is no exception. Emerging leagues have often led the way, driving new innovation and adopting new technologies at a rapid pace. This panel will explore how these leagues are implementing AI in ways that were previously not possible, from officiating and game operations to athlete health and fan engagement. Looking ahead, panelists will highlight the most promising applications poised to define the next decade of sports, as well as the challenges leagues face in integrating AI responsibly.

Moderator: Shane Battier Panelists: Sonia Raman, Steven Adams, Monte McNair, Ariana Andonian Basketball analytics has evolved far beyond shot charts and efficiency metrics. Today's teams operate in an era of player-tracking data, biomechanical modeling, and emerging AI systems capable of influencing decisions in real time. But as data becomes more powerful, new questions emerge: What aspects of basketball can truly be modeled, and what still relies on human instinct? Are teams optimizing for winning or merely for avoiding mistakes? And how do players experience a game increasingly shaped by algorithms behind the scenes? This panel brings together leaders from coaching, front offices, player personnel, and the court itself to explore how analytics is actually used inside modern basketball organizations. As AI enters the next phase of sports decision-making, this conversation asks a bigger question: Is the future of basketball driven by better models, or by better understanding of the people who play the game?

Moderator: Danny Rensch Panelists: Daryl Morey, Meg Risdal, Federico Barbero, Eric Hansen Chess is the first major human industry to be "solved" and surpassed by AI. For decades, it was a laboratory; in 2026, it is a looking glass. This panel explores the "Post-AI" reality of chess to predict how superhuman intelligence will rewrite the rules of other complex fields - from sports analytics and logistics to drug discovery. We discuss Neural Algorithmic Reasoning and the shift from brute-force calculation to AI "intuition." If a game with 10^40 positions has been mastered, what happens when those same models are applied to the "infinite games" of the real world? Our experts will debate whether humans in a post-AI world are destined to be "proxies" for the machine, or if, like in chess, AI actually unlocks a higher, more creative form of human potential.