It’s an age-old debate that tears sports fans apart: who is the greatest sportsman of all time? We asked ChatGPT to decide…
At the coffee machine for the grown-ups or in the playground for the little ones, almost all of us have already had this debate: who is the greatest sportsman of all time? The consensus being not found within the editorial staff of Linternaute, we asked the question to ChatGPT, hoping that the new reference of artificial intelligence would make everyone agree.
“It is difficult to single out a single sportsman as the greatest of all time, as it often depends on the criteria used to assess greatness,” ChatGPT begins cautiously in its response. But the AI ”however” delivers a list of “a few athletes who are often considered among the greatest in history in their respective sports”:
- Pelé: Considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time, Pelé won three World Cups with the Brazilian national team and scored over 1,000 goals during his career.
- Michael Jordan: Considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and dominated the sport during the 1990s.
- Serena Williams: One of the most successful tennis players of all time, Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam titles and is often considered the best female tennis player in history.
- Usain Bolt: Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter who holds the world records for 100 meters and 200 meters. He is widely regarded as the fastest athlete of all time.
- Muhammad Ali: Ali was a legendary boxer and world heavyweight champion. He is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, not only for his skills in the ring, but also for his social and political impact.
- Roger Federer: Federer is considered one of the best tennis players of all time. He won 20 Grand Slam titles and dominated men’s tennis for much of the 2000s and 2010s.
And ChatGPT concludes: “It should be noted that this list is subjective and that other sportsmen can also be considered as the greatest of all time, depending on personal preferences and evaluation criteria”.
“If I had to choose just one name”
Note that this ranking does not include, for example, Diego Maradona, Zinédine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi for football. No more than Rafael Nadal for tennis, Michael Schumacher for F1, Tiger Woods for golf, Michael Phelps for swimming, Usain Bolt for athletics or even Valentino Rossi in MotoGP. Nor does NFL legend Tom Brady appear. But the IA clarifies that “it is important to note that this list is subject to debate and that there are many other incredible sportsmen who could also be included in this list, such as LeBron James (Basketball), Sachin Tendulkar ( Cricket), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Athletics), Babe Ruth (Baseball) and many more”.
“If I had to choose just one name, many people consider boxer Muhammad Ali to be the greatest sportsman of all time because of his influence beyond the sport itself,” ChatGPT adds when finally asked to to slice. “Ali was an extraordinary athlete, a multiple time heavyweight champion of the world, and he made history with his unique fighting style and charismatic personality. Outside the ring, he was a strong advocate for civil rights and social justice, using his fame to promote important causes. His impact on sport and society in general makes him an emblematic and unforgettable figure”, argues the chatbot.