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The artificial intelligence takeover has officially reached the world of sports, as one of the biggest tennis tournaments is set to use technology to eliminate human error.
Per the Associated Press, the All England Club announced Wednesday that artificial intelligence will be used to make the “out” and “fault” calls at the Wimbledon Championships beginning in 2025.
Organizers of the prestigious Grand Slam tournament said the live electronic line calling “builds on the existing ball-tracking and line-calling technology that has been in place for many years.” The decision to fully adopt it next year came after “extensive testing” during Wimbledon this past summer.
“We consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating,” Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Club, said. “For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.”
Line-calling technology has long been used at Wimbledon and other tennis tournaments to determine whether serves are in or out, but this marks the first time it will be fully implemented as the authority on calls throughout tournament matches.
Line judges dressed in elegant uniforms had been traditionally used to make the “out” and “fault” calls during Wimbledon, but Bolton added that the tournament has a responsibility to “balance tradition and innovation.”
“Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating set-up at the championships for many decades, and we recognize their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service,” she said.
