US media: NBA will use AI technology to assist in penalty review and shorten playback review time by 80%.

September 26 According to US media reports, the NBA plans to use AI technology in the new season to shorten the time of referee replay review and ensure smooth gameplay.

This technology will be reportedly effective in improving the pain points of fans, players and teams. The referees gathered around the technical station to review carefully, and the long replay put the game to a standstill, which is a key point that many people have long complained about. In the new season, the NBA plans to use AI surveillance video and sensors to simplify the playback process. It is reported that early tests have shown that the review time for ball-centric penalty replay is expected to be shortened from an average of 2 and a half minutes to less than 30 seconds. Some penalty can be generated almost instantly through the automatic system, and the system will also remind the referee of obvious violations.

It is understood that compared with the past when referees played back and amplified the video frame by frame to determine what happened on the field, each venue will be equipped with higher frame rate cameras in the new season. After that, these data will be combined with Hawkeye-like technology and processed through AI algorithms, so that the referees can understand the accurate situation on the field more clearly and quickly. For example, fans can see and hear information such as the shooting trajectory in playback almost instantly, and display the playback screen simultaneously. With the help of AI, it will be easier to interfere with the decisions such as balls and outbound balls.

It is reported that the NBA plans to form a database through basketball, venues and cameras from different angles to reduce misjudgments or misjudgments caused by distraction from referees. It is understood that AI technology can allow referees to fully focus on players' contact, position and movement by tracking the ball, thereby improving the accuracy of the penalty, which will help improve the consistency of penalty for players' interactive behaviors such as fouls, blocking, illegal cover, and high-five shooting. The referee union also grasps statistics on the law enforcement performance of each referee position to improve the accuracy and fairness of the judgment.

NBA Senior Vice President and Head of Referee Development and Training Monty McCutchen said that referees neither need nor should they rely on any auxiliary tools, but the NBA's court intelligence system is different, it is more like a fourth referee with eyes but no right to blow the whistle. No one wants the game to be slowed down, adding a fourth referee with a whistle will only blow more fouls. Referee automation is not the goal, it is a better tool so that referees can make judgments quickly and accurately and enhance fans' viewing experience.