During UFC Seattle, fans noticed something different in their promotional video. Many spotted that Dana White and his production team have used generative AI to create that promo. As a result, the UFC CEO started getting some criticism for not hiring humans to take care of the production and replacing them with AI. But it seems White doesn’t care that much about the ongoing backlash.

At the UFC Seattle post-fight press conference, a reporter asked Dana White about the AI usage in tonight’s event promotional video and whether they will use it further under the $7.7 billion partnership with Paramount. In response, the UFC head honcho just dismissed the criticism, and instead, they should focus on the fights.

“Give me a f—ing break. AI is coming, and if we’re using AI, who gives a s—? People are upset about it. We should use artists. Who gives a s—? It has nothing to do with Paramount. Paramount is not telling us how to run our production. We run the production. So every time we change, we go from Fox to ESPN and now Paramount, people are like, ‘Oh, ESPN is doing this, and Fox is doing that… and Paramount.’ They are not doing anything. They have nothing to do with our production.

They do create some of their own spots for the fights. But we do everything, from the artwork to production to music; everything is done internally and always has been at UFC. How about this? Shut the f— up and watch the fights,” he added.

The reaction, along with his past comments on fighter pay disputes, uniform deal backlash (Reebok/Venum), highlights the core part of his public-facing management style.

The UFC’s use of AI specifically to generate promos had not come to light before the Seattle event. However, when it comes to overall production, the company has been using artificial intelligence for quite some time.

In 2021, Dana White and Co. collaborated with 4D Sights’ AI technology to bring enhancements to their brand exposure. With the help of 4D Sights, the promotion can place digital logos on its canvas without constraints from camera angles. Because of that success, the UFC also extended its partnership with the AI company in 2023.

Furthermore, in 2024, the UFC named IBM its first official AI partner under TKO Group Holdings. Unlike 4D Sights, IBM’s specialized AI data platform, watsonx, helps enhance the viewing experience for fans during UFC events. So, as we could see, Dana White has been actively engaged with AI over the years. With that in mind, it was almost inevitable that the 56-year-old business mogul would eventually bring it into video production as well.

Now, when it comes to using AI, the UFC’s partnerships with 4D Sights and IBM have been pathbreaking for sure. But their deal with Meta last year arguably tops everything when it comes to pushing the boundaries of technology in the sport.

Dana White struck a multi-year deal with Meta

As part of the UFC’s growing technological advancement, Dana White’s vision reached the doors of Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta. The Facebook founder has long been a fan of MMA and even practices the sport himself. Naturally, the alignment between the two business figures clicked, leading to a partnership aimed at bringing cutting-edge technology into the UFC cage last year.

With Meta as the promotion’s official tech partner, the alliance introduced the concept of Fan Technology, which is designed to enhance the visual experience of the sport using AI, VR, and even the Oakley Meta AI glasses. We heard about their usage during the UFC 317 event last year, when some fans spoke about using the glasses to watch the fights. After a year of testing various features, the UFC decided to take the partnership even further by renaming the UFC Apex to Meta Apex.

“I’ve had a lot of great partners over the years that have helped us grow this sport, but Mark and his team at Meta are going to do things that will blow away UFC fans,” said UFC CEO Dana White. “Meta has the greatest minds in tech, and they are going to take fan engagement to the next level.

We’ve already started to work on some innovations with Meta around a new fighter rankings system that I’ll be sharing soon. The next few years will be an absolute game-changer for fans of this sport,” he added.

That said, what do you think about Dana White bringing AI technology into the UFC? Would it actually affect their human staff? Let us know in the comments section below.