There’s no slowing down how quickly artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving into our everyday lives. With every passing day, resistance to utilizing the technology grows smaller. Companies continue to downsize human staff around the country in favor of AI models that reduce overhead and increase productivity, albeit in some cases not to the same level of quality. Now, sports is getting into the mix, with networks utilizing the technology for more user-based experiences. Yesterday, FOX Sports jumped into the AI pool with Sports AI with Colin Cowherd.
Yes, that Colin Cowherd.
The product leans into the voice and tone of Cowherd, whose confident, debate-ready style anchors the marketing push with the tagline: “You’ve got questions. I’ve got answers.” While this could be considered a breakthrough in technology and an added experience that ties Cowherd consumers closer to the personality, it also runs a giant risk for Cowherd himself.
Dr. Ian Malcolm was a genius. He always asked the right questions when they demanded to be asked about evolution. While we’re not creating dinosaurs here, AI is the future of our society. I often wonder if those in boardrooms filled with people in positions of power are so preoccupied with whether they could create an AI tool instead of asking whether they should.
Following the announcement of the AI tool on The Herd w/Colin Cowherd, I dove into the FOX Sports app to explore the new platform. It presented a sleek, easy user interface. There were options such as ‘catch me up,’ which had AI Colin reciting what it believed were the top stories in sports at the present moment. The prompt then asked for my take on the automated balls and strikes system that MLB is utilizing, looking to strike up a conversation on the matter.
Yes, AI was interested in knowing my opinion on the new ABS technology. It made me wonder: is this more an information companion or an attempt to buy me another beer at the virtual bar?
There’s also a ‘hot take generator,’ which plays into the stereotype that encompasses the sports radio format. Punching the button gave me a Colin Cowherd ‘hot take’ on Anthony Richardson and why he’s not a long-term solution in Indianapolis. An unprompted hot take from a radio personality who’s made a career on them.
You can interrupt AI Colin by simply asking a question about anything else, and I did.
I then asked the AI version of Colin Cowherd about the Tampa Bay Rays’ outlook this season. The tool quickly produced a response. It offered a hot take on their AL East chances. It also broke down the pitching staff and asked a follow-up question to extend the exchange. Honestly, it was more sustained Rays analysis than I recall hearing from Cowherd in years. I previously carried his show on WDAE in Tampa Bay.
Then there is the ‘this day in sports history’ tab on Sports AI with Colin Cowherd, which features AI Colin delivering a sports moment from the past along with a short take on the moment in the cadence and delivery that have made Colin a Hall of Fame radio talent.
The tool gives a real-time, on-demand feel with a personal approach from one of sports radio’s biggest talents. When a game goes final, Colin can share his insight on the outcome in real time. As the Red Sox game went final with a 7-5 win over the Rays Thursday afternoon, I asked AI Colin his thoughts on the matter, which prompted a hot take on how a lopsided inning can determine the outcome of a game.
Boston scored seven runs in the fourth inning, and AI Colin was interested in hearing what I thought about the inning and whether that means good things for the Red Sox’s lineup this coming season.
That real-time feel, aiding the connective tissue between consumer and talent, was amazing to witness. However, it could come at a cost for a number of reasons.
The first is accuracy. I went back to listen to Colin Cowherd’s show on Thursday to hear his ‘hot take’ from non-AI Colin about Lamar Jackson’s contract status and whether that makes the Baltimore Ravens a bubble team for the NFL playoffs next season. On-air Colin said that signing Jackson to a new contract would eliminate the Ravens from being a playoff bubble team because of the amount it would warrant holding back the organization from winning in today’s NFL.
When I asked AI Colin whether the Ravens would be a playoff bubble team if the franchise extended a contract with Lamar Jackson, I got a different response. AI Colin said that the Ravens are no longer a bubble team but a contending team for the Super Bowl in a very detailed and Colin-esque presentation.
I asked the question again with the same prompt and got a completely different response, but one that was closer to what human Colin said on his radio program.
The technology isn’t perfect, nor should it be expected to be. However, Colin represents Colin. Everything he’s associated with, he represents. If AI Colin is willing to give a ‘hot take’ and engage in a personal conversation with the user, shouldn’t it match what human Colin would think all the time?
Also, why would an AI Colin user who’s interested in Colin’s thoughts on the Ravens’ playoff possibilities with a new contract for Lamar Jackson tune in to hear what human Colin believes about it? The ability now to get that content is on demand and in real time.
Ever hear the same ‘hot take’ repeated? It’s an instant tune-out, with audiences wanting something new and fresh from their favorite sports radio personalities instead of what they’ve already been given by the talent.
By allowing his voice, cadence, and sports radio tendencies to train a real-time AI model, he assumes significant responsibility. The stakes are especially high in the AI era. Digital likenesses and fabricated quotes can spread quickly. In a short-form media environment, audiences often react before verifying what is real.
It’s comparable to watching a cover band at a neighborhood bar. Instead of paying to see the headliner, fans settle for an impersonator who delivers a similar experience. For many consumers, that imitation is sufficient. The question becomes strategic. Why would FOX Sports deploy a product built on Colin Cowherd’s name, image, and likeness? The tool is free and available on demand. Yet it is not actually Cowherd. It simply replicates the tone and framework many listeners expect from a sports talk host.
Maybe FOX Sports is right, and this is the inevitable evolution of sports media. Maybe this reflects what modern audiences truly prefer. They may value instant analysis over scheduled programming. They may want customized debate tailored to their specific questions. Frictionless access to a familiar personality could outweigh waiting for a three-hour terrestrial radio window. There’s no call screener. No commercial break. No tease to “we’ll get to that after the break.” Just answers.
But that’s also the danger, even if you’re the first one into the AI party.
What makes Colin Cowherd valuable isn’t just the cadence or the hot takes. It’s the humanity. The conviction behind the opinion. It’s the accountability that comes with saying something on the air and standing by it the next day — or adjusting when you were wrong.
An AI model can replicate tone, rhythm, and the structure of a rant. What it cannot replicate is ownership. When a take lands flat, who owns it? How about when it contradicts itself, who explains it? When it goes viral for the wrong reason, who defends it?
Colin built his brand on being unmistakably Colin. The pauses, and analogies along with his self-awareness. That brand now lives in two places: the studio and the server. And one of those doesn’t sleep. The value of his words loses value when they’re on demand, with the world having his words at its fingertips.
FOX Sports may have created a powerful engagement tool. They may have built the next phase of audience interaction. However, in doing so, they’ve also blurred the line between personality and product. Between commentary and code.
The real question isn’t whether AI can sound like Colin Cowherd. It’s whether, over time, it makes Colin Cowherd sound replaceable.
Because in sports media — just like in life — once the audience believes the substitute is “close enough,” the original suddenly becomes optional.
And that’s a gamble far bigger than any hot take.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
