• Loading stock data...
Friday, April 25, 2025
exclusive
Athletes

The Big A.I.? Licensing Group Files Trademarks Hinting at Virtual Shaq

  • A source tells FOS Shaquille O’Neal came to the company, which owns Sports Illustrated, with the idea for a generative A.I. product.
  • Applications for “ASK SHAQ” and “SHAQ AI” were filed on Thursday.
Shaquille O'Neal
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Details of Shaquille O’Neal’s latest venture were detailed in two U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filings on Thursday: an artificial intelligence product for Authentic, the licensing group that owns Sports Illustrated.

The filings for “ASK SHAQ” and “SHAQ AI” include few details of the project, but a source with knowledge of situation told Front Office Sports that the potential A.I. play was the Hall of Famer’s idea and that he first broached it with Authentic only days before the trademark filings. 

An A.I. chatbot or similar product remains months off, the source said. 

“Authentic owns the rights to Shaq’s personal name brand,” Josh Gerben, founding partner of Gerben Perrott PLLC, told FOS. “This could be a sort of chatbot that’s based on Shaq, where people would be able to go in and ask questions, and A.I. Shaq would answer.”

The two trademark applications have nearly identical descriptions, including: 

  • Downloadable computer software for the artificial production of text relating to sports and entertainment.
  • Downloadable computer programs and downloadable computer software for natural language processing, generation, understanding and analysis relating to sports and entertainment.
  • Downloadable computer programs and downloadable computer software for creating and generating text relating to sports and entertainment.

Authentic, formerly known as Authentic Brands Group, partnered with O’Neals Shaq athletic brand in 2015, and O’Neal turned around and invested half those proceeds back into Authentic. O’Neal, one of Authentic’s largest independent shareholders, was tapped as the president of Reebok Basketball, which Authentic owns, in October.

Authentic purchased Reebok for $2.46 billion in 2021 and created O’Neal’s position as part of an effort to compete with the likes of Nike, Adidas and Under Armour.

As for the potential A.I. venture, “it might be an interesting interactive tool for people,” Gerben said. “I’d expect there would be some kind of integration into the broader Shaq brand, like merchandise and other things that [Authentic] sells.”

The trademark filings come days after Sports Illustrated was the focus of a Futurism story that suggested SI had used A.I.-generated content without disclosing it to readers. 

Authentic purchased SI in 2019, but the publication’s management was licensed to Arena Group Holdings (which was known as Maven at the time).

An Arena Group spokesperson pushed back this week on the Futurism story, saying: 

“The articles in question were product reviews and were licensed content from an external, third-party company, AdVon Commerce. A number of AdVon’s e-commerce articles ran on certain Arena websites … We have learned that AdVon had writers use a pen or pseudo name in certain articles to protect author privacy — actions we don’t condone — and we are removing the content while our internal investigation continues and have since ended the partnership.”

News that A.I.-generated content potentially ran on SI.com without any sort of disclosure “angered” executives at Authentic, according to a source.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Trump Defends Sanders After Snub: ‘What Is Wrong With NFL Owners?’

He said Shedeur Sanders has “phenomenal genes” and asked if owners are “stupid.”

Goodell: Three NFL Games Every Christmas Moving Forward

The league is returning to scheduling three games on the holiday this season.
Mar 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half during a Midwest Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.

College Sports Has Become a Billion-Dollar Business. Kentucky Is Embracing It

Kentucky said its LLC would operate similarly to two hospitals run by the university.
Dec 27, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; A close up view of New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) shoes during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.

Skechers Is Latest Company to Pull Guidance, Citing U.S. Tariffs

Skechers’s healthy international business will help it weather the effects of tariffs.

Featured Today

The Former NBA Agent Who Became a Pickleball Deputy Commissioner

Chris Patrick went from representing Jimmy Butler to pickleball deputy commissioner.
Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after a three point basket against the Houston Cougars during the first half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.
April 21, 2025

Cooper Flagg’s Timing Is Perfect for the NBA and USA Basketball

The projected No. 1 pick just declared for the draft.
Apr 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Paige Bueckers is interviewed by ESPN after being selected with the number one overall pick to the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards
April 21, 2025

ESPN’s WNBA Coverage Mirrors the League’s Stunning Growth

“I don’t think we stand still in our coverage of women’s sports,” says Rowe.
Mar 16, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with guard Isaiah Joe (11) after score in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.
April 20, 2025

Unorthodox OKC: The Thunder Redefined Tanking to Become NBA’s Best

A rebuild years in the making has OKC in the driver’s seat.
Apr 4, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) runs drills at the University of Colorado NFL Showcase at the CU Indoor Practice Facility.

Shedeur Sanders Not Selected in First Round of NFL Draft

There were questions around his attitude and skill set going into the draft.
NFL draft prospect, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter, arrives during the NFL Draft Red Carpet event at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
April 24, 2025

Jags’ Trade Up for Travis Hunter Highlights His Immense Value

The Heisman Trophy winner was drafted No. 2 overall after Jacksonville made a big move up.
April 24, 2025

Raiders Make Ashton Jeanty Highest-Drafted RB Since Saquon Barkley

Jeanty led Boise State to the College Football Playoff this past season.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

This week, Two-time Super Bowl Champion and CBS NFL analyst Logan Ryan joins us to talk the business of sports on our third installment of Portfolio Players.
Apr 20, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) celebrates his three-point basket in the first quarter against the Miami Heat at Rocket Arena.
April 24, 2025

Evan Mobley’s DPOY Win Adds $45 Million to Contract

Mobley’s contract extension got more expensive with his DPOY win.
April 24, 2025

No. 1 Pick Cam Ward Is the Face of Football’s Transfer Portal..

Ward played for three teams in his college career, which started in 2020.
April 24, 2025

The Bold NFL Draft Approaches of Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders

The longtime college teammates are taking different professional approaches.
Olympic rings
April 23, 2025

SafeSport Fires CEO Amid Scandal

Ju’Riese Colón was hired in 2019, two years after the agency’s founding.