Is AI ending MLB umpires?

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What happened? During a spring training game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox, one umpire had five straight calls overturned by baseball’s automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system.

How does it work? Debuting in the MLB this year, the system uses AI vision to track the pitch’s exact location as it crosses the plate. If a player challenges a call, the system quickly shows whether the pitch was inside or outside the strike zone and adjusts the call accordingly. Home plate umpire Mitch Trzeciak, a Triple-A umpire getting experience in a major league setting, saw five of his ball-and-strike calls challenged by players and overturned by the ABS system before the end of the third inning.

Why does this matter? This case highlights how effective the ABS system can be in major league settings, ensuring that the calls are correct. However, it raises an obvious question: why is the human umpire still needed? As the season goes on, this will undoubtedly raise questions about the future role of umpires in the game.

What’s new? ŌURA has launched its first proprietary AI model focused specifically on women’s health, now available for testing inside Oura Labs.

Want the details? The new model powers Oura Advisor, the in-app feature that answers health questions from Oura Ring users. Unlike general AI tools, this model was built specifically for women’s health and reviewed by board-certified clinicians and women’s health experts. It combines trusted medical research with each user’s personal data, including sleep, stress, activity, menstrual cycle, and pregnancy trends. When a member asks a question — like why their cycle has changed — the AI looks at both clinical knowledge and their long-term biometric patterns to offer personalized, easy-to-understand guidance. ŌURA says the system is privacy-first, hosted on its own infrastructure, and conversations are never sold or shared.

Why does this matter? Many women already turn to the internet and AI for health advice. A tool designed specifically for women’s bodies and life stages could offer more accurate, supportive answers and help users walk into doctor’s appointments feeling informed and confident.

Hi — I’m Hunter, a PhD candidate whose work has appeared in major academic journals and popular tech outlets. I founded FryAI to make staying ahead of AI clear, accessible, and fun.