New technology will be used as support, without interfering in determining results
The X Games Aspen 2025, which will take place from January 23 to 25, will introduce a Google Cloud AI (Artificial Intelligence) judge. The technology, developed in partnership with Google, will be tested in this edition without influencing the results, with the possibility of use in future competitions. The information was released by .
“Our goal is that perhaps this could become a tool alongside the judges, as if there were four judges and then this AI acted as a (true) judge. Or even, that it was a technology that the judges could interact with, just to ensure that they evaluated the maneuver correctly”, stated Jeremy Bloom, CEO of X Games since December 2024.
The AI analyzes live video from snowboarding competitions and is designed to identify details like landings and catches. In other sporting events, such as the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships in Belgium and tests with robot umpires in Major League Baseball, similar technologies have been employed to assist with officiating.
At X Games Aspen, the system will be featured during broadcasts of the men’s and women’s Snowboarding Superpipe finals on ABC, ESPN and streaming platforms. In addition to analyzing the competitions, the AI will provide information to spectators, simulating the role of a technical commentator.
Trained with snowboarding data and using Google’s Vertex AI platform, the technology is designed to accurately capture movement. This application has also been used by the English Football Association in player analysis and by Technogym in virtual training.
The AI presentation will be shown during broadcasts of the men’s and women’s Snowboarding Superpipe finals on ABC, ESPN and Roku. In addition to analyzing competitions, the software will offer additional information to viewers during broadcasts.
