Uncertainty Surrounds Role of Wimbledon Line Judges as Grand Slam Embraces Artificial Intelligence

For the time being, Wimbledon’s technology leaders have assured that line judges are not in danger, despite the tournament’s adoption of artificial intelligence on its grass courts.

The All England Club and global technology giant IBM on Wednesday announced new artificial intelligence features for the championships, which begin early next month.

Using generative AI technology, the tool provides audio commentary for match highlights on the Wimbledon website and app.

And the “draw analysis” feature uses artificial intelligence to determine how favorable the path to the final might be for each player in the singles draw.

Bill Jinks, chief technology officer at the All England Club, said Wimbledon had to work hard to stay on top.

“Wimbledon is the oldest Grand Slam tournament and we have a rich heritage and tradition that goes all the way back to 1877 and that’s one of the main reasons people come here,” he said.

“That’s a huge part of this experience for people – both the players and the fans.

“But you can’t do that without technological innovation. We wouldn’t have stayed at the top of the sport without the technological innovation that keeps us there.”

Wimbledon holds a unique place in the global tennis calendar, and the hallowed traditions of the All-England Club attract players and fans alike.

The smartly dressed referees and linesmen are as much a part of the experience as the strawberries and cream and the all-white kit the players must wear.

But how long can they survive in the face of galloping technology?

The men’s ATP Tour in April announced the tour-wide introduction of electronic line calling from 2025, a role traditionally held by on-court linesmen, with the aim of “optimizing accuracy and consistency across tournaments”.

Jinks said linesmen would still be part of the scenery at the London Grand Slam this year, but he could not give a long-term guarantee.

“In 2023 we will definitely have linesmen,” he said.

“Line calling technology has changed. We’ve been using a challenge system (players can ask for a limited number of calls using video technology) since 2007 and it’s currently working for us.

“Who’s to say what may happen in the future?”

Jinks was more specific when asked if there could be a future with an AI referee that can’t be argued with.

“The answer is no,” he said.

– Fan Engagement –

Chris Clements, director of digital products at the All England Club, said technology has changed the way people play sport.

“For a lot of us grown-ups, Wimbledon meant everyone getting together in front of the TV in one living room,” he said.

“These days there are fewer family moments consuming content, so we need to find other ways to reach people and create the next generation of lifelong Wimbledon fans.”

Kevin Farrar, director of sports partnerships at IBM UK and Ireland, said there is a “buzz” around AI at the moment, which is reflected in all the publicity surrounding ChatGPT.

“What we do is basically take massive amounts of data and turn it into insights that we can then share with fans around the world through digital platforms, wimbledon.com and the official apps,” he said.

“Every challenge we face is to make sure we get the right balance between tradition and heritage and technology and innovation.”

He said the intention was to expand the commenting feature to full games, but insisted there would still be room for human input.

“I see AI very much complementing the human element,” he added. “You can’t replace John McEnroe in commentary. That human element always has to be there.

“It’s about commenting on matches in the future that currently don’t have human comments, so it’s about seniors, juniors and wheelchair matches.

“So in all cases it’s about supplementing the human element rather than replacing it.”