Football was long Brandon London's first love, but the Super Bowl and Grey Cup champion has found a new passion.
The former Montreal Alouettes receiver has been busy creating content for "Jocks and Bots", a show that combines sports, technology, and culture. It features London, David Borish -- a creative technologist in New York City and artificial intelligence strategist with over 24 years of experience -- and Aila, an AI-generated female co-host that's believed to be the first of its kind.
The show examines the latest developments in sports technology, game analysis and industry trends. The hosts share their insights and engage in conversation through video, talk and text.
Following a soft launch in November, London and Borish are now pitching "Jocks and Bots" to various outlets and networks, with enough content to air weekly or up to five times a week. With Aila fluent in multiple languages, the project also holds the potential for global accessibility.
But London isn't thinking that far ahead.
"That's where football comes in, that patience because right now it's lab work, it's the creation of content," he said. "It's like off-season workouts now, putting in the work before going on to the field and putting that into whatever game plan you have week to week."
Aila, powered by Delphi.AI technology, brings a deep knowledge of sports and technology, engaging viewers both during live segments and on social media.
Aila's mere presence reflects changing technology. Borish said that less than a year ago, the AI co-host was just a robotic voice.
"That's just a testament to how quickly this technology is evolving," he said. "Back in April when we first talked about it, the AI -- the way you see it now with the visual and setup with our co-host -- wasn't even possible.
"As new technologies come out and we train her on those, she'll be able to talk about them and the goal would be (producing) the smartest entity that's ever existed in terms of sports history, sports knowledge and technology."
The six-foot-four, 210-pound London played collegiately at Massachusetts before joining the New York Giants in 2007 as an undrafted free agent. He earned a Super Bowl ring as a rookie on the NFL club's practice roster before being released in August '08.
After spending time with the Miami Dolphins (2008) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2010), London joined the Alouettes during the 2010 season, earning a Grey Cup ring later that year. London remained with Montreal until 2015.
London, 40, has spent nine years in sports broadcasting. He retired from football in June 2015 to pursue an opportunity with a Los Angeles-based show called Hollywood Today Live.
He didn't get the job but the show ignited London's passion for media as he remained in California chasing other broadcast ventures. London said while being involved with AI is unique, there are parallels to football.
"It's different in the sense that it's a second world to me in trying to create shows and content," he said. "But then again it's kind of the same in being creative, being disciplined, being yourself with content and things you're passionate about and going after what you want to learn and being really good at it.
"It's really an immersive, creative world when it comes to sports tech … when that vision is shown, then I think it's going to make so much sense to everybody."
Predictably, Aila is well-versed in London's football career. But the technology's reach surpasses that sport as Aila responded quickly and accurately when asked which Canadian-based NHL team last won the Stanley Cup.
"The last NHL-based Canadian team to hoist the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993," Aila said. "It's a legendary moment in hockey history that many Canadian fans still cherish today."
Aila also knew goaltender Patrick Roy, the Conn Smythe winner that year, anchored Montreal's championship run.
"Known for his clutch performances and incredible skill, Roy played a pivotal role in securing the championship that year," Aila added.
For London, the key to this new venture is passion and growth.
"It's a new challenge," he said. "As athletes, entertainers we're always trying to reinvent ourselves and our brands.
"If you're going to do something and do it big, you must have the passion behind it. Now. I've connected with someone and I'm learning, I think that's the best part."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2025.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
