Ever imagined a world where Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is used to bring a deceased sports personality to life? You probably have, as sci-fi has been flirting with the concept for a while now. However, it felt a little too uncomfortable to fans when a sports tech CEO casually floated the thought experiment of recreating iconic sports figures like Vince Lombardi in AI form. No, it wasn’t a project announcement, but the internet heard enough to make it sound like one.

That CEO, Gary Vaynerchuk, a.k.a. Gary Vee, sat down with college football analyst Adam Brenaman on the Next Up podcast to share his candid thoughts on sports, AI, and what the future holds. What seemed like a solid PR interview quickly turned controversial when Vaynerchuk started riffing on how families could use Name, Image, Likeness rights to create AI versions of legends like Vince Lombardi. The video creators posted a clipped version of the interview on Instagram, and it quickly made its way around, with fans not too impressed.

Here’s the quote that got people talking: “Vince Lombardi could come back to life, could you imagine that? I mean, let’s go into your world like the family of Vince Lombardi, if they own the name and likeness. An AI robot that is Vince Lombardi uploaded in the AI is everything Vince Lombardi has ever said publicly and, [is] trained to now act in today’s world like.” Many may wonder: Why does Gary Vee get to imagine something like this?

You can find that answer in his resume. Vaynerchuk is a 49-year-old entrepreneur who runs VaynerMedia and co-founded VaynerSports, a full-service talent representation and sports marketing consulting agency for football, baseball, etc., as per its official website. This probably makes him a go-to for shows like Breneman’s, which dives into college sports’ future. Gary’s AI expertise, from boosting ads to athlete branding, equips him to ponder big ideas like an AI Vince Lombardi. But is AI in sports ready for this leap?

AI is already reshaping sports in more ways than we know. From the NFL’s “Digital Athlete” program to StatCast in MLB and even DraftGPT in the NBA, it’s clear teams and leagues are embracing the tech. But for every success story, we can point to failed attempts, too. For instance, fans pushed back against AI umpiring in MLB, while regulators continue to address ethical dilemmas in AI-driven betting. With that in mind, can fans even stomach the idea of bringing Vince Lombardi back as an AI-powered robot?

Gary Vaynerchuk’s idea finds no takers among fans

Right after Vaynerchuk commented on AI-Lombardi, he quickly tried to distance himself from the idea, saying, “I mean these are and again, for everybody who’s listening. I’m not an advocate of this; I’m not not an advocate of this; I’m just pondering, and I’m pondering things that I think people are not spending a lot of time thinking about. AI is big (sic).” However, the entrepreneur had already opened the can of worms by then, as fans had already formed their strong opinion from the outset.

One wrote, “Why the f*** would we want that?” one user wrote while another added, “Let Vince rest in peace.” While the disapproval was in abundance, others raised legal and ethical concerns, like one of the users who asked, “If his family owns the name, image, and likeness… WHAT?!??”

The reaction wasn’t just anger; there was confusion, disbelief, and a whole lot of sarcasm. One user mocked, “Oh and create Lombardi friends that are vintage and unique to compete with VeeFriends wow.” Some of them plainly question the point of it, asking, “Why the f*** should I care what Gary Vee thinks?” Even well-meaning pushback came through. One user offered, “The human connection is needed! It’s not so simple as words!”

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In the end, the collective voice was loud and clear that fans didn’t want a robot Vince Lombardi pacing the sidelines, even if it came with a deep-learning memory of his speeches. Vaynerchuk may be a thought leader in tech and sports branding, but this time, his idea didn’t land. Saying that, AI isn’t slowing down and is crawling into every corner of our lives. The real verdict on how far we let it go? That will only come when we’re actually living it. But for now, a Vince Lombardi AI robot doesn’t appear to be a winner in the fans’ playbook.