World Gymnastics is reportedly in advanced talks to introduce AI-assisted judging at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, according to reports.
World Gymnastics President Morinari Watanabe demonstrated the Judging Support System at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in the Netherlands, according to a November 4 report by The Athletic.
The technology, developed by Fujitsu in 2017, uses motion-tracking cameras to evaluate routines, analyze body positions, and log shoulder angles. It recognizes more than 800 distinct gymnastics elements.
“Our dream is to have no judges, only computers and AI awarding scores,” Watanabe told the outlet. “We must be fair to everybody. I don’t want mistakes or misjudgments.”
Athletes Voice Routine Concerns
Top competitors have already questioned the exactness of the automated system following its recent test events. Olympic champion Carlos Yulo saw his score for the piked Dragulescu drop from 5.6 to 5.2 during competition.
“I don’t know what the problem is,” Yulo told Inside Gymnastics, via BBC. “It’s AI, I’m not a robot, we’re human beings, in my eyes and in my opinion. I think everyone also is maybe a bit disappointed about it because everyone is feeling it is pike position, why is it only 5.2?”
British gymnast Harry Hepworth faced a similar penalty on his vault when the system registered a tuck instead of a half twist. Hepworth stated he intentionally bent his legs to protect against injury during landing preparations.
“But the AI detection system caught on to it and said I was doing a tuck position, which then downgrades the vault by four tenths,” Hepworth told BBC. “It definitely cost me a few positions, I think, in the final for sure.”
Precision Versus Human Reality
Willem Standaert, an associate professor at the University of Liège’s business school, said that the software creates strict measurements that differ from traditional evaluations.
“A human judge would look at the routine and say, ‘This leg was straight,'” Standaert explained, per The Athletic. “AI can look at that and say, ‘Well, it’s actually 179 degrees.’ The level of exactness is too exact for humans.”
Yulo and Hepworth both performed the identical vault in the final, with Hepworth placing sixth and Yulo finishing seventh.
Answering Key Olympic Questions
When will the LA 2028 Olympics take place?
The LA 2028 Olympics are scheduled to run from July 14 to July 30, 2028.
Who developed the Judging Support System?
The JSS was developed by Fujitsu in 2017.
How many elements can the system recognize?
The system has been trained to recognize more than 800 gymnastics elements.
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