The augmentation paradox: balancing artificial intelligence and human creativity in sport management

As artificial intelligence transforms sport organizations, practitioners face a core tension: leveraging AI’s capabilities without eroding the human creativity that drives sporting excellence. We conceptualize this as the augmentation paradox—the structural conflict between AI’s efficiency-optimizing logic and the exploratory, judgment-dependent nature of creative work. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 22 sport mana­gement practitioners in Thailand, we examine how practitioners navigate this paradox in practice. Analysis identified five themes: strategic task allocation distinguishing pattern recognition from contextual interpretation; creative confidence cultivation through expertise reframing and AI-free spaces; productive paradox navigation using temporal cycling and bounded autonomy; ethical governance addressing bias, authenticity, and accountability; and contextual adaptation shaped by digital maturity and competitive pressure. The augmentation paradox is a generative tension whose navigation defines effective AI leadership in sport. Findings extend componential creativity theory, paradox theory, and artificial intelligence research, offering practitioners a framework for preserving human agency alongside technological capability.