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Gymnastics Eyes AI Judges: No More Human Error?
4 Nov
Summary
- AI technology can detect gymnastics errors humans might miss.
- World Gymnastics aims for AI judges at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
- AI could transform scoring, explanations, and performance scrutiny.
The president of World Gymnastics, Morinari Watanabe, has revealed ambitious plans to integrate artificial intelligence into the sport's judging system, potentially by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Fujitsu's AI Judging Support System, which debuted at the World Championships, has been utilized by officials across all 10 apparatus. This technology analyzes routines, identifying errors with a precision that surpasses human observation.
Watanabe envisions a future where AI exclusively awards scores, eliminating human error and misjudgments that have historically led to disputes, such as the Athens 2004 and Paris 2024 incidents. While human judges would still oversee rules and unusual circumstances, the ultimate aim is to create a completely objective scoring system.
Experts acknowledge AI's potential but also highlight challenges, including the extreme precision of AI measurements and the risk of new biases emerging. Concerns also exist about the impact on human judges' careers and the sport's developmental pyramid. Furthermore, the AI must be trained on novel skills to recognize them accurately.
Fujitsu asserts its system adheres to established rules and has been trained on diverse data to mitigate bias. Beyond gymnastics, this AI technology is being adapted for healthcare, analyzing movement patterns to aid in detecting early signs of diseases like dementia and Parkinson's in older individuals.
