MLB effectively outlaws use of AI on dugout iPads during games

AI has just been ejected from the game.Major League Baseball effectively outlawed the practice of using iPads during games to access artificial intelligence tools, and use of AI to shape in-game strategy.Teams were installing custom apps that pushed the boundaries of the technology guidelines, as the iPads were being used "beyond their originally intended purpose to include recommendations regarding substitutions, pitch calling, and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches," according to a commissioner’s office memo obtained by Fox News Digital.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMAn iPad sits in the dugout during an MLB game between the Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., on May 21, 2026.(Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)The league memo about AI and the iPads was issued on June 11, with the ban fully going into effect on Wednesday before teams resumed play following the All-Star break.
As many as one-third of the league was using the iPads for reasons beyond its intended use, according to The Athletic’s report.The league’s review of the use of technology found that no teams broke the MLB’s rules governing sign stealing and electronic-device usage."Gotta stop the cheating before there’s cheating now," one front office executive told The Athletic.ZERO BS.JUST DAKICH.
TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD.DOWNLOAD NOW!Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge look at an iPad during a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., on May 24, 2026.
(Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)On MLB-issued iPads, there are three tabs: The first contains MLB-provided Statcast data and multiple video angles, the second contains data related to the automated ball-strike (ABS) system, and the third was a custom tab where teams installed apps.That third tab is now prohibited by the league.Rules have been implemented to try an...