James Hird appointed global head of sport at AI firm Affinda

Former AFL champion James Hird has accepted a full-time position as the global head of sport at Affinda, a Melbourne-based artificial intelligence company. The move follows Hird's recent disappointment at missing out on the senior coaching role at the Essendon Football Club, which was awarded to Mark McVeigh.

Affinda, which specializes in document-processing software and has customers in 85 countries, is backed by former Essendon chairman Paul Little. Hird will lead a new sports division aimed at utilizing AI for athletic performance. While the new role is full-time and precludes him from taking any positions within the AFL, Hird will maintain his current role as director of coaching at the VFL club Port Melbourne on an after-hours basis.

Affinda was valued at $220 million following a $25 million funding round in February. Hird noted that the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of global AI technology presented a significant new direction for his career.