MLB has “effectively outlawed the growing practice of using league-provided dugout iPads to access generative artificial intelligence,” according to Eno Sarris of THE ATHLETIC. According to a commissioner’s office memo obtained by THE ATHLETIC, teams were “pushing the boundaries of guidelines governing the use of technology by ‘in many cases’ installing custom apps that expanded the use of the iPads ‘beyond their originally intended purpose to include recommendations regarding substitutions, pitch calling, and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches.’” Sources said that “as much as a third of the league used the dugout iPads for at least one of these purposes.” Sarris notes the league memo was issued June 11 and gave teams “more than a month to adjust before the ban took effect on Wednesday,” in time for the start of the season’s second half Thursday. The midseason policy change has been “met with frustration by some front-office members tasked with innovation.” Teams can “still upload static information,” which is data that would be available before first pitch, though clubs were told that “anything uploaded would ultimately remain subject to review by MLB.” Pitch-calling from the dugout “may be at the center of this battle and is one of the usages the league appears to be targeting.” It’s unclear how many teams used the iPads with live in-game information (THE ATHLETIC, 7/16).
MLB bans dugout iPad AI for in-game decisions
