Uniformed protesters criticise introduction of AI line calls at Wimbledon
It is the first year in Wimbledon’s 148-year history that all line calls are being made by an automated electronic system.
A pair of students dressed as line judges have staged a protest outside Wimbledon in response to the decision to replace human officials with artificial intelligence (AI) at the tennis tournament.
Gabriel Paul, 26, from Battersea, and Harry Robson, 27, from Marlow, stood outside the All England Club in south-west London holding placards reading “AI took my job” and “Don’t sideline humans”.
The men, who are graduating this summer, said they wanted to highlight the wider impact of AI on employment and the role of people in sport.
“We’re students – we’re graduating in three months and worrying about the whole jobs market,” Mr Paul told PA news agency.
“There are so many moments from Wimbledon that line judges have been an essential part of – like the John McEnroe ‘You cannot be serious’ moment.
“Countless other times too – the controversy, the drama. That’s what sport is about.
“Sport isn’t just about clinical accuracy – it’s about the human story. We’ve spoken to a few judges who are really backing the cause.”
Mr Robson added: “If accuracy was the most important thing, we’d just get robots playing the sport.
“This is about keeping people in the game.”
It is the first year in Wimbledon’s 148-year history that all line calls are being made by Hawk-Eye Live, an automated electronic system.
Line judge staff have been completely removed from court, with organisers citing a drive for “maximum accuracy” for the move which brings Wimbledon into line with most other tournaments.
There is still a match umpire sitting in the chair and the uniformed ball boys and girls running to retrieve stray balls.
The most famous controversy over line calls at Wimbledon involved American champion John McEnroe in 1981 when he challenged a line judge during a first-round match against Tom Gullikson.
McEnroe’s serve on the centre line was met by an outstretched arm from the line judge.
The umpire Edward James affirmed it was out, leading McEnroe to exclaim: “You cannot be serious. That ball was on the line. Chalk flew up.”
Mr Paul said Wimbledon staff had reacted positively to the protest, suggesting they may fear their jobs will be the next to go.
“They don’t seem to mind – they seem to be pretty friendly,” he said.
“There’s been a lot of cheering for us from the stewards, which is quite funny.”
