X Games Debuts AI Judge for Snowboarding Superpipe

The Winter X Games Aspen 2025 is bringing a new twist to competitive snowboarding: an artificial intelligence judge. The AI system, powered by Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform, will debut during the men’s and women’s Snowboarding Superpipe finals. While the AI’s scores won’t affect the official results, its performance will be evaluated for potential integration into future events.

Enhancing Objectivity in Subjective Sports

The AI judge, trained on extensive snowboarding data, uses high-definition cameras to analyze every detail of a competitor’s run. From landings to grabs and the execution of tricks, the AI can assess performance with remarkable precision. It can detect deductions, such as a rider dragging their hand, and differentiate between good and great landings.

Jeremy Bloom, who became CEO of the X Games in December 2024, envisions the technology as a tool to complement human judges. “Our goal is … that maybe this could be a tool that sits next to judges,” he said, “or it could be a piece of technology that judges could interact with, just to make sure they saw the trick appropriately.”

Bloom emphasized the importance of fairness in sports: "I always come back to the athletes, because I know how much they care, how much they prepare, and how much they deserve objectivity across subjective sports.”

AI in Other Sports

AI-based judging and refereeing are making inroads across various sports:

• Gymnastics: At the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, AI software tracked all the gymnasts’ performances. While it didn’t replace human judges, the system was used to resolve inquiries, according to MIT Technology Review.

• Baseball: Major League Baseball is experimenting with robot umpires to call balls and strikes, potentially rolling out the technology in 2026.

• Soccer: Semi-automated offside technology has been used in leagues like Serie A and La Liga. The Premier League planned to introduce it in 2024 but postponed deployment, ESPN reported.

AI refereeing makes sense when the technology is ready, says Bloom, a two-time Olympian and former NFL player. “Some referees get it wrong, and sometimes the impacts are really high,” he said, reiterating that the athletes deserve objectivity across subjective sports.

A Visionary Collaboration with Google

The idea for the AI judge came from a conversation between Bloom and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, a longtime supporter of action sports. Brin proposed creating "the world's first AI judge," leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance the X Games’ judging process. The resulting system uses Google’s Vertex AI, the same platform employed by England’s Football Association to evaluate future players, and Technogym’s AI-virtual trainer.

A Glimpse into the Future

The AI analysis will also feature prominently in broadcasts of the Snowboarding Superpipe finals on ABC, ESPN, and Roku. Viewers will see the AI judge’s scoring and commentary in action, including its ability to describe performances in the athlete’s native language.

“What the viewer will see, I think, is a glimpse into the future,” Bloom said, calling the technology “a real technological glimpse into the future of where this can go.”

Looking ahead, the X Games plans to test AI judging further at the Sacramento X Games in August and during the launch of an eight-team global league in 2026.

What This Means

The introduction of AI judging marks a pivotal moment in competitive sports, offering a potential solution to the subjectivity of human evaluation. By providing real-time, data-driven insights, AI judges could enhance fairness and accuracy, particularly in technical disciplines like snowboarding.

While human judges remain central to the process, integrating AI as a complementary tool could revolutionize the future of sports officiating. This collaboration between the X Games and Google not only highlights the possibilities of AI in sports but also sets a precedent for technology’s role in enhancing the fan experience.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.