#Building PitchPilot AI in Public 🚀
A few nights ago, I found myself wondering about something that most people probably don't think about until they're actually inside a stadium.
Imagine you've travelled to another country for the FIFA World Cup. The stadium is packed with tens of thousands of fans. You're trying to find your gate before kickoff, your phone has no signal, and you don't understand the local language.
Suddenly, something as simple as finding your seat becomes stressful.
That question stayed with me:
What if AI could make the match-day experience just a little easier?
So I started building PitchPilot AI—a GenAI-powered stadium assistant designed for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The goal wasn't to build another chatbot. I wanted to build something that could actually solve problems fans and stadium staff might face during a match.
🛑 The Problem
Modern stadiums are incredible, but they can also be overwhelming.
Fans often struggle with:
Finding the correct entrance or seating section.
Understanding stadium rules and bag policies.
Communicating with staff because of language barriers.
Getting quick information when the venue is crowded.
For stadium staff, handling thousands of visitors while responding quickly to incidents is equally challenging.
I wanted one application that could help both.
💡 The Solution
PitchPilot AI combines AI with practical stadium utilities instead of relying on AI for everything.
Rather than making users search through menus or FAQs, the assistant lets them simply ask questions naturally and get the information they need.
⚽ Features
🗺️ Smart Stadium Navigation
Users can find the quickest route to their seats using an interactive stadium map.
The navigation considers simulated crowd conditions, helping fans avoid congested areas and reach their section more efficiently.
🤖 AI Stadium Assistant
Powered by Google Gemini 2.0 Flash, the assistant answers common questions like:
Which gate should I enter?
Can I carry a backpack?
Where are the food courts?
Is wheelchair assistance available?
How do I reach the parking area?
Instead of searching through multiple pages, users simply ask.
🌍 Multilingual Support
Since the World Cup brings together fans from around the globe, PitchPilot AI supports conversations in six languages, making communication much easier for both visitors and stadium staff.
_
🚨 Incident Response Assistant_
I also wanted the app to be useful behind the scenes.
PitchPilot AI can generate structured incident-response checklists within seconds, giving staff a quick starting point during emergencies.
⏳ Live Match Experience
Before kickoff, the dashboard displays a live countdown.
Once the match begins, the interface automatically switches to a live match simulation, making the experience feel much more engaging.
🛠️ The Unexpected Challenge
One thing I didn't expect to spend so much time on was handling AI failures.
During development, I occasionally hit Gemini API quota limits.
Instead of displaying an error page, I built a fallback mode where the core features continue working even if AI responses become unavailable.
It isn't the flashiest feature in the app, but it's probably the one I'm happiest with because reliability matters just as much as intelligence.
🏗️ Tech Stack
I intentionally kept the architecture simple.
Frontend: HTML, CSS & JavaScript
Backend: FastAPI
AI: Google Gemini 2.0 Flash
Deployment: Vercel
Containerization: Docker
I could have added more services and frameworks, but I wanted to spend my time solving user problems instead of making the architecture more complicated than it needed to be.
💭 What I Learned
Every project teaches something different.
For me, PitchPilot AI reinforced three things:
AI works best when it solves a specific problem instead of trying to do everything.
Small details—like graceful fallbacks and clear navigation—often matter more than flashy features.
Building something people can actually use is far more satisfying than simply experimenting with new technology.
🚀 What's Next?
There are plenty of ideas I'd love to explore in future versions:
Live crowd-density visualization
Indoor navigation with real-time positioning
Voice-based conversations
Public transport integration
Personalized recommendations based on ticket location
Live stadium notifications
🌐 Try It Out
I'd love for you to try PitchPilot AI and let me know what you think.
🔗 Live Demo:
https://pitch-pilot-ai-beta.vercel.app/
If you have suggestions or spot something that could be improved, I'd genuinely love to hear your feedback.
Final Thoughts
PitchPilot AI started with a simple question and slowly evolved into one of my favorite projects to build.
It reminded me that creating AI applications isn't just about integrating large language models. It's about designing experiences that remain useful, reliable, and intuitive even when things don't go exactly as planned.
There's still a long list of ideas I'd like to explore, but I'm happy with how far this project has come—and even more excited about where it could go next.
Thanks for reading! ⚽🤖
Built with ❤️ by Srija Bhattacharya for Google for Developers × Hack2Skill – Build with AI | PromptWars Virtual Challenge 4
#BuildWithAI #PromptWars #GoogleGemini #WorldCup2026 #BuildInPublic
If you were attending the FIFA World Cup, what AI feature would make your stadium experience better? ⚽
Top comments (0)