AI Judges at X Games in Aspen: Future of Scoring?

This week, the X Games in Aspen is taking a revolutionary step by incorporating artificial intelligence to judge halfpipe runs. Jeremy Bloom, the X Games' new CEO and a former freestyle skier, has partnered with Google founder Sergey Brin to develop this technology using Google Cloud tools. Bloom believes this experiment could transform how subjectively judged sports are scored, starting with halfpipes and possibly expanding to slopestyle courses, skating rinks, and other competitive arenas. The idea is simple: enhance judges' capabilities with technology. "Even the best judges can make mistakes, " says Bloom. This was clear at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, where a snowboarding score caused a stir. Japan's Ayumu Hirano performed a triple cork but wasn't initially ranked first. It was only on his third run that he clinched gold. Similarly, Canadian slopestyler Max Parrot admitted forgetting a key board grab during his run, a detail judges missed. At the X Games, the AI won't alter official scores initially but will show what's possible. Thousands of halfpipe footage hours and judging criteria have been fed into the system, which will be used to predict top finishers in practice and judge live runs. Bloom emphasizes that AI won't replace judges but aim to ensure fairness and objectivity. In snowboarding, judging factors like trick difficulty, execution, and jump height are considered, which differs from figure skating or gymnastics where each trick has a specific point value. Bloom and his team are considering all these nuances to make AI judging effective. "It's early days, " Bloom says, "but the potential of this technology is incredible. " Using AI to enhance rather than replace human judgment could lead to a more objective future in sports scoring.