Football Manager 2025 may be out of the picture, but fans of the franchise are still engrossed in FM24. Some are even pushing the game’s boundaries in unexpected ways. One player, developer Murat Kacmaz, has merged AI with the popular football management simulator, enabling full voice control for team management.
Football Manager Meets AI-Powered Voice Commands
Kacmaz shared his experiment online, showcasing how he integrated OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Whisper into the game. Instead of navigating menus with a mouse, players can now issue voice commands to make lineup changes on the fly. A simple spoken order can bench a struggling midfielder or substitute an injured goalkeeper without a single click.
In a short video demo posted on LinkedIn, Kacmaz demonstrated the feature. He issued a straightforward command:
“Ter Stegen is injured, take him out.”
Within moments, Football Manager 2024 recognized the instruction, removed Barcelona’s starting goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, and replaced him with backup Ignacio Peña. The AI-powered setup translated the voice input into text and processed the request in real time, updating the lineup accordingly.
How It Works: Whisper and ChatGPT in Action
This unique modification relies on two AI models:
- Whisper: Converts spoken commands into text, ensuring accurate transcription.
- ChatGPT: Interprets the command and translates it into an actionable task within the game.
By combining these tools, the system recognizes natural language instructions and executes them automatically. The player behind the project explained that it can handle a range of basic management tasks:
- Substituting players
- Adjusting formations
- Swapping out injured squad members
While this approach offers a fresh way to play, there’s a catch—it’s significantly slower than traditional controls.
Accessibility Over Speed
Let’s be real—managing a squad with voice commands isn’t the fastest or most efficient way to play Football Manager. Clicking through menus is still the quickest method, and even using a controller is more responsive. But that’s not really the point.
For some players, this AI-driven voice control could be a game-changer in terms of accessibility. Those who have difficulty using traditional input methods might find this feature invaluable. Even if it’s a bit clunky, the system works, and that alone is impressive.
A Glimpse Into AI’s Role in Gaming
Artificial intelligence is often criticized for its hit-or-miss applications in gaming. Some implementations feel unnecessary or even intrusive—think AI-generated art or chatbots prone to misinformation. But this use case shows AI’s potential when applied with purpose.
Instead of replacing human creativity, AI is being used here to enhance interaction with a complex strategy game. While it may not replace standard controls anytime soon, it opens the door for further experimentation with voice-assisted gameplay.
One thing is clear: AI isn’t just shaping the future of gaming—it’s already here, and players are finding ways to make it work.
