Point of view1 min read
The NBA's lesson for any AI rollout: objective calls and judgment calls
The NBA is moving objective calls to AI and keeping judgment calls with referees. The same split works for contract checks and month-end reconciliations.
The National Basketball Association is making the hardest part of any AI rollout look simple.
Adam Silver says the league is moving “objective calls” to AI: cameras around the court will soon take the “whose ball is it” calls off the referees. A Wilson smart ball with a 1 gram chip could be helping officials as soon as next year.
Here's what's worth thinking about for your own AI transformation:
- Draw the line: calls with a clear right answer go to the machine, while judgment calls like fouls stay with the referee
- Test before you trust: the chip ran across the G League, Summer League and preseason, and nobody could tell which balls had it
- Agree the data rules first: the league is working with the players' union on how game data gets used before anything goes live
The question isn't “where can we use AI?” It's “which decisions in this process are objective, and which need judgment?”
If the league can pull this off with a whole arena watching, your contract checks and month-end reconciliations should be a friendlier crowd.
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