"This is Why It's a Ball" Pitcher Assaults Umpire [AI Error Note]

Eliminating Bias and Fairness Disputes in Ball Calls: The Emergence of Robot Umpires
'Removing Bias' Is Not Welcome? : Resistance from Star Players
Changing Power Dynamics by AI: Removing Bias Means Removing Privileges for Some?
Organizations Introducing AI: The Scene of Power Shifts
Leadership in the AI Era: A Matter of Technology and Power
Leaders in the AI Era: Architects Redesigning Power Structures

Editor's NoteExamining failures is the shortcut to success. 'AI Error Notes' explores failure cases related to AI products, services, companies, and individuals.

"Str~ike!"

The moment the catcher catches the ball thrown powerfully by the pitcher, all eyes focus on one person: the umpire. This is because the umpire's brief shout of "Str~ike!" or "Ball!" determines the flow of the game.

However, the judgment cannot be perfect. It is difficult for the human eye to accurately track a ball traveling over 150 km/h. It is nearly impossible to be 100% accurate in judging whether the ball passed through the virtual strike zone with the naked eye. Therefore, calls often lead to disputes and sometimes become very heated.

In May 2003, Curt Schilling, the ace pitcher of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Major League Baseball (MLB), protested by pointing his finger at the QuesTec camera during a game. After the game, he caused an incident by smashing that camera with a baseball bat. It was a complaint about ball calls.

Eliminating Bias and Fairness Disputes in Ball Calls: The Emergence of Robot Umpires

The umpire's ball call is a crucial factor in determining the outcome of the game. The demand for accurate and fair judgments is leading to judgment systems operated by robots. The photo is the result of requesting ChatGPT to "draw a scene where a player and an umpire argue over a ball call at a baseball stadium." DALL-E3

MLB introduced the 'QuesTec Umpire Information System' in 2001. This system tracked the trajectory of pitches through cameras installed in the stadium and used computer analysis to support umpires' ball-strike calls.

Why was such a system necessary? Because human ball calls can involve various biases.

'Omission bias' is a representative example. It is a psychological tendency to fear errors caused by taking action more than mistakes or errors caused by inaction.

Umpires fear making an incorrect strike call that results in an out (an active error) the most. They feel that calling a strike a ball (a passive error) is relatively less criticized. It gives the impression of hesitating or thinking more before making a call that ejects a batter.

Ball judgments can be influenced by various biases. There is a tendency to make favorable calls for famous players (reputation bias), slightly favor the home team (home team bias), or apply different judgment criteria depending on the game situation (situational bias). Last year, the KBO introduced the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS). KBO

Sometimes, umpires tend to be more or less lenient in ball calls depending on the situation. For example, consider a game with a large score difference. In the bottom of the ninth inning, umpires often see the strike zone very broadly. Since the chance of a comeback is almost none, they try to end the game quickly. Baseball fans often call this the 'umpire's quitting instinct.'

The QuesTec Umpire Information System aimed to remove such human biases and apply the same standards to all players to enhance fairness in the game. It seemed like an ideal goal with little reason to oppose it. But in reality, it was not so.

There were people who did not welcome the 'removal of bias.'

'Removing Bias' Is Not Welcome? : Resistance from Star Players

The MLB office fined Curt Schilling $15,000 for breaking a camera. Schilling admitted that his actions were wrong but also argued that the ball judgment system using robots was flawed. Photo by AP Yonhap News

At the early stage of QuesTec's introduction, the strongest opposition came from MLB superstars. Not only Curt Schilling but also top players of the era like Tom Glavine and Barry Bonds publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the system.

Tom Glavine was a pitcher who dominated games with excellent control. He was especially famous for pitching on the outer edge of the strike zone, and QuesTec diminished this advantage. The system mechanically filtered out pitches that might have been called strikes if they just grazed the strike zone.

Conversely, home run hitter Barry Bonds felt the strike zone had narrowed. When Bonds stepped up to bat, everyone except the opposing team expected a home run. It was not easy for umpires to be free from the pressure of the crowd and Bonds' reputation. A pitch that could be called a strike might be called a ball. The introduction of robot umpires meant that Bonds lost the special privilege of a narrow strike zone he had enjoyed as a batter.

Why did this happen? For these star players, umpire 'bias' was not a problem to be eliminated but a kind of 'resource' they could utilize. Over their long careers, star players learned how to gain subtle advantages through relationships with umpires and developed the ability to understand umpire tendencies and use them to their benefit.

Changing Power Dynamics by AI: Removing Bias Means Removing Privileges for Some?

Both hands of a person typing on a laptop keyboard are visible. Icons symbolizing artificial intelligence and digital technology are layered in the center of the photo like a background. Photo by Getty Images Bank

The case of ball calls shows that AI is not just a technical issue but a 'power issue.'

AI redistributes decision-making authority. Previously, the umpire's subjective judgment was the power. But with machines, robots, and AI judgment systems, umpire decisions shift to objective data-based calls. Along with this, the power that star players built over a long time also collapses.

① Depowerment of Reputation: The 'benefits from reputation' that star players implicitly enjoyed disappeared. Privileges such as the narrow strike zone for batters like Barry Bonds or the wide strike zone for pitchers like Tom Glavine are no longer valid.

② Redefinition of Expertise: New technology relatively diminishes the value of the umpire's professional skills that were previously valued. Instead, pure technical ability to accurately and quickly judge ambiguous pitches becomes important.

③ Decline in the Value of Relational Capital: The ability to leverage long-established relationships with umpires and crowd pressure no longer provides a competitive advantage.

The automation, robotization, and AI-ization of ball calls bring many structural changes. If this is true in sports, what about industrial sites?

Organizations Introducing AI: The Scene of Power Shifts

A robot's hand and a human hand are reaching out to hold each other. Photo by Getty Images Bank

When AI is introduced in industrial sites, the following organizational and power changes are expected.

① Reduction of Middle Managers' Power: In many companies, middle managers have made decisions based on experience and intuition. If AI replaces such judgments, their authority and influence may decrease.

For example, suppose a hiring manager traditionally made hiring decisions in the early stages based on intuition and know-how. If an AI-based evaluation system is introduced, their influence will diminish.

② Data Over Experience: The value of 'know-how' accumulated through long experience declines. The importance of explicit and measurable data increases. This weakens the status of 'experienced veterans' and strengthens the status of personnel with excellent data interpretation skills.

③ Increased Transparency in Decision-Making: AI systems generally increase transparency in decision-making processes. This can threaten those who have maintained power through opaque decisions and closed-door meetings.

④ Centralization or Decentralization of Power: AI can enable both centralization and decentralization of power structures. The direction depends on the design and operation of the AI system. It can concentrate power in a few technical experts as an efficient system or, conversely, make concentrated power transparent and distribute it to more employees.

Thus, AI introduction brings fundamental reorganization of power relations within organizations beyond simple work efficiency improvements. Such changes inevitably provoke resistance. Just as Curt Schilling smashed the QuesTec camera, various forms of resistance may appear within organizations.

Therefore, to successfully introduce AI into organizations, it is necessary to consider not only 'technical design' but also 'power design.'

Leadership in the AI Era: A Matter of Technology and Power

AI changes the structure of decision-making. Getty Images Bank

The vague illusion that 'everything will improve if AI is introduced' must be abandoned. If only technical aspects are considered and changes in power structures are overlooked, AI systems risk being 'broken' like Schilling's camera. Trust within the organization may collapse, and the very existence of the company may be threatened.

Leaders considering AI introduction should first ponder the following questions.

Who will lose authority because of AI? Who currently exercises authority through subjective judgment, experience, or special relationships? How will they react to AI introduction? Will they accept and adapt, or resist?

What should the new power structure look like? Is the goal simply to weaken existing power? If not, how can a more productive and creative power structure be designed?

How will the power transition process be managed? Sudden changes can provoke strong resistance. How can gradual changes and appropriate compensation systems be designed?

Who controls the AI system? Is the system designed to overrepresent the interests of certain individuals or organizations? Are diverse stakeholders involved in the system's design and management?

What roles of employees cannot be replaced by AI? What unique roles and capabilities of employees will become more valuable in the AI era, and how will they be developed?

Leaders in the AI Era: Architects Redesigning Power Structures

Leadership in the AI era must consider even the reorganization of power structures. Photo by Getty Images Bank

Leadership in the AI era requires insight into organizational power structures beyond technical understanding.

Introducing AI into an organization is not just about automating tasks or replacing low-skilled labor. It brings broader organizational changes beyond technological shifts. Leadership must help members find new roles and values alongside technological changes.

The incident where Curt Schilling smashed the camera should be seen not as mere technological rejection but as a symbol of resistance to fundamental changes in power structures brought by AI.

To effectively introduce AI, attention must be paid as much to the changes in power relations it brings as to the technology itself. It is essential not to overlook who will be winners and losers in the new system and how to manage that process.