AI camera mistakes referee's bald head for football
An AI-enabled camera system designed to automatically track a soccer ball mistook a bald linesman's head for the ball. Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC was using a new Pixellot camera system for live streaming matches, which was implemented due to COVID-19 restrictions preventing fans from attending games in person. The AI camera repeatedly focused on the linesman's shiny bald head instead of the actual ball, leading to frustration among viewers who missed key moments of the game, including their team's only goal. Fans humorously suggested the linesman might need to wear a hat to prevent further confusion. The camera's errors were attributed to the visual similarities between the bald head and the yellow ball, exacerbated by camera angles that made the head appear within the pitch boundaries. While the technology aims to enhance the viewing experience by providing HD footage, this glitch highlighted the limitations of current AI systems, which often struggle with nuanced object recognition compared to human operators. The incident sparked laughter on social media, with many fans finding humour in the situation despite the missed action. System 🤖 Pixellot 🔗 Operator: Developer: Pixellot Country: UK Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts Purpose: Detect football Technology: Computer vision ; Machine learning Issue: Accuracy/reliability
- Date it happened
- 2020-01-01
- Product, system or model
- Pixellot
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