NBA-League to use AI for objective calls, Silver says

By Rory Carroll

May 27 (Reuters) - ‌NBA Commissioner ​Adam ​Silver said the league will use AI to automate a category of calls such as out-of-bounds ‌decisions to speed up games and reduce disputes over ⁠possession.

Silver compared the system to Hawk-Eye technology used in tennis, where electronic ‌line-calling quickly determines whether ‌a ball has landed in or out.

"We're going to move to a system like that where that whole category ​of calls will be automatic," Silver said on ESPN's the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday.

"It's going to be ⁠Laker ball, Knick ball, whatever it is. Those calls will be done by an ​AI, automated system with cameras lined around the court."

The technology would make such decisions instantaneous and ​allow referees to focus on calls ‌for contact and fouls.

"It will take all those so-called objective calls out of the hands ⁠of the referees," he said. "You won't have to deal with challenges on those calls."

Silver did not provide an exact timeline for ⁠the introduction of the system but said it would be "fairly quickly".

The NBA ​has increasingly leaned on replay review and centralized decision-making to improve officiating accuracy, though reviews can slow the pace of games.

Silver said referees ‌would remain essential for interpreting physical contact, where judgment is required to determine whether a ‌player has been impeded.

"There's often contact on every play, but ⁠that doesn't mean there's a ‌foul on every ​play," Silver said. "That's something that can't just be done on camera."

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Peter ‌Rutherford)

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