NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league will use artificial intelligence to automatically handle a type of penalty, such as out-of-bounds decisions, to speed up the game and reduce possession disputes.
Silver compared the system to the Hawk-Eye technology used in tennis, where an electronic line call quickly determines whether a ball is in or out.
“We’re going to move to a system where all types of calls are going to be automated,” Silver said Wednesday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“It’s going to be Lakers ball, Knicks ball, whatever it is. Those calls will be made by artificial intelligence automated systems with cameras arrayed around the court.”
The technology will make such decisions immediately and allow referees to focus on contact and foul calls.
“It would take all those so-called objective decisions out of the referee’s hands,” he said. “You don’t have to deal with the challenges of these calls.”
Silver did not provide an exact timeline for introducing the system, but said it would be “pretty soon.”
The NBA is increasingly relying on replay and focused decision-making to improve officiating accuracy, even though replay can slow the pace of the game.
Silver said referees remain critical in interpreting contact and judgment is needed to determine whether a player was impeded.
“There’s contact every game, but that doesn’t mean there’s going to be fouls every game,” Silver said. “This is something that can’t be done just with a camera.”
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