Motorsport's world governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), is working with a global coalition of sports and governments to increase the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to combat online abuse.
The first meeting of the Coalition Against Online Abuse (UAOA) will be held in the French capital on Wednesday to discuss measures to be taken.
The FIA has already partnered with Arwen AI, which has worked with Mercedes, Red Bull and Alpine F1 teams, and a spokesman said the F1 governing body's AI capabilities are being built.
FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem told Reuters more than 4,000 sites were blocked in the seven weeks leading up to last year's FIA annual general meeting.
An FIA spokesman said discussions had taken place with TikTok, Google France, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp's parent company Meta.
Attendees on Wednesday included representatives from World Rugby, the International Tennis Federation, the ATP Tour and football's governing body FIFA, as well as France's Minister of Sport and Olympics, Amelie Oudea-Castella.
Ben Sulayem: Volunteers. If you take them out there's no F1
Ben Sulayem said a recent Barometer survey revealed that 75 percent of athletes reported threats to their physical safety.
More than 90% of athletes agreed that if online abuse wasn't addressed, athletes would quit the sport – an issue that also affects those who give their time for free.
Ben Sulayem said: “The volunteers, if you take them out there will be no F1, there will be no WRC (World Rally Championship), there will be nothing. I have been threatened, the volunteers have been threatened, the drivers have been threatened, the stewards have been threatened. If this goes on for too long, our sport will be in an irreparable state.”
“I believe that if we come together at the government level, the media level or the federal level, we can make a difference. We have the support of the French government. I believe that together, we can make a difference. I am happy about this. The momentum is there,” Ben Sulayem declared. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin)
