Can AI replace referees? Sports are chasing error-free officiating, and tech may be close to delivering it

Artificial intelligence has firmly entered the world of sports, and one of its biggest challenges is exploring ways to bring officiating closer to error-free decision-making. These intelligent systems are no longer just support tools. They are increasingly capable of making real-time decisions with a level of precision that can surpass human performance. That raises an obvious question: will soccer, basketball and other sports eventually be officiated by AI? And could it finally eliminate the controversies that cloud competitions week after week?

Carlos García, chief operations officer at Bornan Sports Technology, a Spanish company that has become a major player in delivering technological solutions for large international sporting events, spoke with AS about where this revolution in officiating is heading.

Recently, Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, announced that AI will be used to help evaluate referees and assign them to games. It is an early step. In the VAR system, for example, AI already assists in validating goals and offside decisions. But when asked whether AI could eventually replace referees, García offered a more nuanced view.

“When people say artificial intelligence could generate decisions autonomously, it is not about completely replacing referees with automated systems, but rather about evolving the human role,” he said. “Referees and judges are unlikely to disappear. Instead, their responsibilities will shift toward supervising and validating highly accurate autonomous systems.”

Can AI end sports controversies?

Could that finally put an end to the endless debates? García believes an AI-guided officiating system with minimal human intervention could significantly reduce controversies in soccer, although not eliminate them entirely.

“AI would struggle with elements such as the emotional context of a play or a player’s intent,” he explained. “In physical challenges or handball situations, human judgment remains essential. A violent tackle or a red card requires not only data analysis but also a deep understanding of the game’s dynamics and psychology.”

Even so, he expects substantial improvements. “Based on Bornan’s experience in sports technology and the rapid pace of innovation in the sector, it is increasingly likely that these systems will reduce technical discrepancies and accelerate decision-making.”

A boxing match with a live scoreboard?

The influence of AI is already spreading across numerous sports.

In tennis, García points to Hawk-Eye, the AI-powered tracking system that has transformed line-calling decisions. “It has made determinations about whether a ball is in or out almost infallible,” he said.

Winter sports provide another example. In alpine skiing and snowboarding, AI helps monitor athletes in extreme conditions. Bornan faced one of its biggest technological challenges during the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin.

“With snow, strong winds and temperatures reaching minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit, traditional optical sensors could fail,” García explained. “To overcome that, we implemented high-precision timing systems and constant algorithmic monitoring. The result was latency below 0.003 seconds, improving not only timing accuracy but also officiating because decisions were based on completely reliable data.”

AI enters subjective sports

Artificial intelligence may also influence sports where judges’ subjective assessments play a central role, including gymnastics, figure skating and artistic swimming.

According to García, AI could provide more precise and objective evaluations of athletic movements. In gymnastics and figure skating, systems could analyze jump height, angles and the quality of sequences while comparing performances with ideal movement patterns. In artistic swimming, AI could evaluate synchronization among athletes down to the millisecond, ensuring routines are perfectly aligned.

The possibility of reducing subjectivity is attractive, but it also raises concerns in sports where artistic interpretation has traditionally been part of the judging process.

Measuring every punch

Some of the most striking developments are occurring in combat sports.

“In taekwondo and fencing, impacts can already be detected within milliseconds,” García said.

The same technology is beginning to influence boxing, a sport long plagued by controversial scorecards. “We are very close to seeing real-time scoring systems in combat sports that track both the number and quality of impacts,”he explained.

Advances in impact sensors and biomechanical analysis now make it possible to measure the force, accuracy and frequency of punches in real time. These systems could feed information directly to judges while also giving spectators a clearer understanding of what is happening during a fight.

While impact-measurement technologies already exist in some combat sports, boxing is still in a phase of gradual integration. Assessing the quality of punches remains a significant challenge. Nevertheless, García believes the technology is advancing quickly enough that real-time scoring systems could soon become a standard tool.

The future of sports officiating

The possibilities appear almost limitless, making it difficult to predict exactly how technology will shape the future of sports officiating.

García believes the next generation of systems will go beyond simply delivering faster results. “These technologies will allow quicker and more precise validation of trajectories in real time, even in hostile environments,” he said. “The combination of artificial intelligence and advanced monitoring systems optimizes officiating by providing fully accurate data, reducing subjectivity and enabling referees to make faster, better-informed decisions, even in complex situations.”

For now, the human referee remains in charge. But as AI continues to evolve, the line between assistance and decision-maker may become increasingly difficult to define.

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