Fujitsu’s artificial intelligence judging system could help decide gymnastics medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Gymnastics officials said they would be “highly surprised” if AI-assisted judging was not used at the Games.
The technology faced its biggest test so far at the recent World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. Some leading athletes left the event unhappy with how it scored them.
How the Fujitsu System Works
Fujitsu has been building the Judging Support System, known as JSS, since 2017. It uses AI and motion analysis to recognize gymnastics skills, and it gives judges multi-angle video and numerical data.
More than 800 elements have been programmed into the system. Each one includes rules on body positions, shoulder angles and bent legs.
“If you think about a body position between being straight and being piked, the differential could be one degree,” said Andrew Tombs, president of the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics technical committee. He said the system supports judges on these close calls.
Olympic champion Carlos Yulo and British gymnast Harry Hepworth both performed the piked Dragulescu vault in qualifying. The system judged their legs as bent, and their difficulty scores dropped from 5.6 to 5.2.
Hepworth told BBC Sport that he bends his legs on the half twist to prepare for a safe landing. He said the system read this as a tuck position, which cost him four tenths of a point.
In the final, Hepworth placed sixth. Yulo tried to keep his legs straight, fell, and finished seventh.
“It’s AI, I’m not a robot, we’re human beings,” Yulo told Inside Gymnastics. He added that many people felt his vault was in a pike position.
Tombs said judges would have downgraded the vaults even without the JSS. He said talks with coaches are ongoing, and the point where leg angles are measured may be adjusted.
Hepworth said the tool could be “brilliant” if it is refined. He also questioned whether hard vaults are worth trying if they get downgraded anyway.
Skiing and Dressage Plan Their Own Trials
Freestyle skiing, snowboarding and dressage are also exploring AI help with judging. Their governing bodies are set to start pilot projects.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) will first test AI alongside human judges in aerials skiing this season. If that works, it could expand to halfpipe, slopestyle and big air.
FIS secretary general Urs Lehmann said aerials judging currently takes about one minute 45 seconds per athlete. He wants that cut to 15 to 20 seconds, with most disciplines using AI judging by 2029.
The FEI, which governs equestrian sports, will trial AI in dressage World Cups. Dressage director Ronan Murphy said AI cannot judge the quality of movement or the harmony between horse and rider.
Murphy said AI could help with horse welfare checks, but it would need careful testing and veterinary input. He said it is “very difficult” to say whether the technology will be ready for LA28.
World Gymnastics president Morinari Watanabe has said his dream is for computers and AI alone to award scores. Tombs said removing human judges is “a long way off” for now.
