Cornell Chronicle reported that researchers are studying how Major League Baseball is implementing an automated ball-strike system, according to author Louis DiPietro.
The system, known as ABS, uses AI-powered cameras to track pitches and allow players to challenge umpire calls during games.
Researchers from Cornell’s Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science have attended spring training games, umpire trainings and conducted interviews with league officials, umpires and fans.
“We hear so much about AI influencing political views and fueling polarization, and here’s a case of AI being used as a consensus-building platform rather than creating division,” said Waki Kamino, a doctoral student in information science.
The ABS system uses 12 Hawk-Eye cameras in each stadium to monitor the strike zone and has been tested in minor league games for seven seasons.
Teams can challenge ball or strike calls, with reviews taking about 15 seconds and results displayed in stadiums and on broadcasts.
“Introducing technology into baseball isn’t like bringing a robot into a manufacturing line,” said Malte Jung, associate professor of information science. “You’re bringing technology into a game that has a culture and a history, with an audience in the millions.”
Researchers found that implementing the system requires coordination among stakeholders and may influence how rules are interpreted.
“Paradoxically, the ABS was brought in to enforce the rules, but it also changed the rules so that it would be accepted by multiple stakeholder groups,” said Andrea Wen-Yi Wang.
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