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The AI Resilience Report helps you understand how AI is likely to impact your current or future career. Drawing on data from over 1,500 occupations, it provides a clear snapshot to support informed career decisions.
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Somewhat Resilient
Last Update: 4/23/2026
Your role’s AI Resilience Score is
43.3%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
Med
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Med
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
Low
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
There are a reasonable number of sources for this result, but there is some disagreement between them.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forUmpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials are somewhat less resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 6 sources.
The career of umpires, referees, and other sports officials is labeled as "Somewhat Resilient" because while AI technology is increasingly used to assist with routine tasks like line calls and timing, it doesn't replace the human role. Human officials are still crucial for making complex judgment calls, managing players, and explaining rules—skills that require empathy and understanding of the game.
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View analysisChat with CoachLatest newsMore career infoAnalysisChatNewsMoreThis role is somewhat resilient
The career of umpires, referees, and other sports officials is labeled as "Somewhat Resilient" because while AI technology is increasingly used to assist with routine tasks like line calls and timing, it doesn't replace the human role. Human officials are still crucial for making complex judgment calls, managing players, and explaining rules—skills that require empathy and understanding of the game.
Read full analysisAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Sports Officials
Updated Quarterly • Last Update: 2/17/2026
How is AI changing Sports Officials jobs?
Some officiating tasks today use computers and sensors, but most still rely on humans. For example, in major sports the most obvious calls are now assisted by technology. In baseball, cameras and Hawk-Eye software automatically check each pitch, letting players “appeal to a higher power” instead of arguing balls and strikes [1].
Tennis now has electronic line-calling (Wimbledon 2025 used recorded voice calls instead of line judges) [2]. Soccer uses video and sensor tech to detect offsides or goal-line scores. Even race timing often uses automatic cameras rather than a human stopwatch (as in Olympic track and swimming events) [3].
These systems take over clear, repeatable tasks.
However, AI so far is only augmenting officials, not replacing them. As news reports note, leagues add cameras but keep their human referees “in addition to – not instead of – computers” [2]. Referees still must start games, watch for fouls, explain rules, and manage players.
Computers can catch a ball going out of bounds or time a race very precisely, but “referees are not being replaced” – the tech just frees them to focus on hard judgment calls [2] [1]. In short, today’s AI helps with routine checks (lines, timing, obvious rule breaches) while real people handle the rest.
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Sports Officials?
Big sports organizations have been quick to adopt helpful AI where it clearly improves accuracy or speed. For example, the English Premier League is installing dozens of cameras per stadium to speed up video replays, cutting average VAR review times in half [1]. The NBA and MLB have similarly tested AI tools to reduce missed calls, freeing referees to focus on the toughest moments [2] [1].
Players often support these changes: tennis star Novak Djokovic called AI “more accurate” and “saves time” [2]. The goal is fairer, faster games for fans and athletes.
Adoption can be slower if costs or tradition get in the way. High-tech systems require expensive cameras, sensors, and software (so small leagues may not afford them yet). Some events value human tradition: for instance, the French Open still uses human line judges to “maintain the style” of the game [2].
Wimbledon’s organizers emphasized that moving to electronic calls was about “evolving the tournament” and improving calls – not saving money [2]. In general, people welcome AI that fixes clear-cut calls, but they also recognize that human officials bring essential skills (explaining rules, mediating conflicts, understanding context) that computers can’t match. That’s why experts say the future is likely a mix: AI tools will aid referees, but the referee’s judgment and people skills remain crucial [2] [2].
Sources
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More Career Info
Career: Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
They ensure fair play in sports by enforcing rules, making calls, and resolving disputes during games.
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Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$38,820
Jobs (2024)
19,300
Growth (2024-34)
+5.7%
Annual Openings
4,600
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024-2034
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Officiate at sporting events, games, or competitions, to maintain standards of play and to ensure that game rules are observed.
2
Teach and explain the rules and regulations governing a specific sport.
3
Confer with other sporting officials, coaches, players, and facility managers in order to provide information, coordinate activities, and discuss problems.
4
Resolve claims of rule infractions or complaints by participants and assess any necessary penalties, according to regulations.
5
Signal participants or other officials to make them aware of infractions or to otherwise regulate play or competition.
6
Judge performances in sporting competitions in order to award points, impose scoring penalties, and determine results.
7
Report to regulating organizations regarding sporting activities, complaints made, and actions taken or needed such as fines or other disciplinary actions.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
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