Name, Image, Likeness… and Now, AI: What Gonzaga Basketball Taught Me About Owning Your Identity in the Digital Age
March 22, 2025
It's that time of year — bracket season, buzzer-beaters, and watching Gonzaga lace up for another shot at the big dance. But this year, I’m seeing the NCAA tournament through a different lens.
This time, I’m not just cheering on the Zags — I’m also reflecting on how college sports are evolving. Not just on the court, but off it, in how athletes build their brands, protect their image, and shape their future. Especially now that Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) is being reshaped again — with schools starting to take the reins from donor-led collectives.
At Official AI, we’ve been thinking a lot about what comes after NIL — and what it means to truly own your identity in the age of generative AI.
When NIL rules changed, athletes finally got what they deserved: the right to profit from their own name, image, and likeness. But just a few years later, we’re in new territory.
Now, with just a few clicks, anyone can create an image of someone else — realistic, high-quality, and potentially viral.
That’s powerful. But it’s also dangerous.
As AI-generated content becomes more common, athletes (and creators everywhere) are facing a new question: Who gets to control your image when it can be generated by someone else?
At Official AI, we believe that just because you can generate someone’s likeness doesn’t mean you should — at least not without consent.
That’s why we’ve built a platform that flips the script.
We create with permission. We empower creators and athletes to generate lifelike visuals, brand-safe content, and powerful storytelling — but always with verified identity and full control.
Just your image, your voice, your story — generated by you, for you.
To bring this to life, I decided to put Official AI to the test — and create an image of myself as a Gonzaga basketball player.
Why? I wanted to show just how powerful — and personal — this technology can be when used the right way.
In under 10 seconds, I had a fully generated, lifelike image of myself in Zags gear. It felt authentic. It felt creative. And most of all, it felt like mine — because it was created with my full consent.
This isn’t a deepfake. This isn’t a manipulated photo pulled from the internet. This is me, generated by me, using Official AI’s ethical, creator-first platform.
In a world where AI can recreate anyone, who owns the story matters. And this image is a reminder that we can still be the ones holding the pen.
With NIL funding starting to shift from third-party collectives to university programs, the stakes are higher than ever. Schools aren’t just supporting athlete branding — they’re becoming directly responsible for it.
That means they’ll need to offer more than merch drops and highlight reels.
They’ll need secure, consent-based platforms that help athletes build their brand safely and creatively — without compromising their identity. Universities now have a chance to lead the way in protecting student-athletes’ digital likeness, and Official AI is here to support that shift.
This isn’t just a tech tool. It’s a trust tool.
We’re entering a new era of visibility — one where your digital identity is just as important as your real-world performance. And whether you’re a student-athlete, a content creator, or just someone who values agency over your own image, one thing is clear:
Consent is the foundation of creativity.
Tools like Official AI make it possible to tell your story, share your likeness, and build your brand — on your own terms.
As a proud Zag, a builder, and someone who deeply believes in the future of ethical AI, I hope we continue moving toward a world where identity isn’t just something you protect — it’s something you own.
Let’s build it right.
